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Your Memories Are Not Enough (PG to PG-13 rating)

Notes: This is my fanfic from Nsider that I'm bringing here. Violence isn't too overly descriptive, and although there is some attraction and other hinted activities between characters, nothing is ever shown. As such, it probably has a PG to PG-13 rating depending on how vivid your imagination is. Now on to the story!

Prologue: The Faded and the Foundation

Is this what has become of me? I, who once consumed the painful memories of a world with delight, am now next to nothing? Curse that Mio and her interference. But even now, I will find a way. I will return to my glory.

Raem retread his old familiar thoughts. For now, he was next to nothing, merely an ephemeral black cloud, barely existing and unable to do anything. He once had been the master of a world, laying claim to all but known by almost none. Now, he was reduced to staying in his realm, a black abyss of nothing.

I could go back, but that means I would have to accept her plan. Harmony? No, I could not stand such an existence. Living off the pathetic dribbles given off by the people when they are done would not sustain me. I hunger. I hunger for the exquisite memories of pain and suffering that I once consumed. I must have control. Only then can I get such things again. But Mio, she would never allow me to regain anything. She would see any move I made back on that world. But is there somewhere else? I’ve searched before and found nothing.

Raem waited for many years, looking for a way to escape Mio and find a new world. Eventually, Raem noticed a disturbance in his realm of memories. An unknown pathway opened. Raem eagerly traveled through this gate, and once through, he immediately felt a new triumph and vigor.

What is this? I sense two worlds, but one is collapsing into the other. The last of the power separating them has faded. The energy released by this collapse must have opened the way for me. Soon, there will be only one world, so I shall observe for a time. The confusion caused by this collapse will be the perfect place to begin. The sorrow and chaos will make them easy prey. At last, I restore my power, my glory!

Raem made preparations for moving to this new realm. He made sure Mio would not notice his absence, not that she cared unless he tried to return to the other world. Raem slowly shifted his influence over this new world and began watching. There was much more people here than the other world. There was also some other creatures with intelligence.

Are there monsters here already? I thought I created them from the painful and faded memories that I consumed. No, these are different. These creatures are natural, but perhaps I could find a way to use some of them. I’ll need more time to understand.

Raem began to watch the collapsing world combine with the other. Luckily, he was not a being tied to any physical dimension, so he could easily watch both worlds in their separate realities. The collapse would take some time to finish, but Raem could wait.

* * *

The world was collapsing. The foundation had known it for a short time now. They worked feverishly in their attempts to try and stop it. The natural disasters in both the world of Arrol and the world of Geonne had steadily grown worse as the convergence neared.

Arrol was merging with the world of Geonne, and in a short time only one world would be left. The terrible disasters and chaos would be sure to reduce the technology and civilization of the humans to almost nothing. The foundation, also known as Exaccus, tried their best, but nothing could restore the energy that kept both worlds separate.

With this failure, the foundation had only one choice. They would make something to survive the calamity with all the knowledge of their world. It would have to be able to protect itself and slowly reveal the knowledge to build up the human civilization once again. From these efforts, Project Forde was born.

As the project was finished, Forde opened his eyes. He went over his system data, which flashed up in his optical channels, covering some of what he saw. Everything was normal, so he hid the data so that he could see his creators. After a quick look around, he already knew about all the grey-haired scientists in the laboratory. Their profiles were all in his internal databases since they all were part of the project staff.

The head of the project, with his long grey beard, took a step closer. “Forde, you are completed. It is a great achievement for us, but now I must ask you some questions to make certain your programming is functioning as planned. Are you ready?”

“My purpose is to follow the rules for my existence. The first rule is to complete the Forde plan. The second rule is to protect human life and pokemon life. I am never to harm anything unless its existence is a direct threat to the plan, but I am to protect myself, since I am the one to carry out the plan.”

“Good. Now, let’s make sure you have the plan properly placed in your systems. Tell us about the plan.”

“The plan, or the Forde plan, involves restoring technology and civilization to the world. Something to contain information, guide humans, and bring stability was needed, so I was created. The plan was made since the catastrophic convergence of both worlds is only a short time away, and the splintering effects of the disasters are already becoming apparent. The fracturing and isolation of different parts of human civilization will only worsen until after the convergence ends, and then I must slowly work to bring the plan about.”

“Everything checks out, so why don’t you come along. There isn’t much time left, and the disasters become worse every day.”

Forde smoothly lifted himself from the table. He cautiously took his first steps and then walked at the pace of the others. In some glass on wall, he caught a glimpse of his reflection. He looked just like a human in their prime would look, strong, lean, and healthy. He had short brown hair, leaving his thin face and green eyes easily seen. Underneath his perfectly human exterior lay the many circuits, systems, and computers that ran the most complex robot ever created. A robot designed to be like a human, but that was stronger, smarter, and faster than any human could hope to be.

They arrived at another laboratory, where several items sat on a table. The project director thrust two at him. “Here put these on. Just examine your databases and you’ll know what to do.” His databases quickly told him that they were a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, so he put the blue pants and grey shirt on over the underclothes he already had on. The databases showed that these clothes were considered normal, and would make so he would easily blend in with normal people, just like he was meant to do.

Next, the project manager handed him two red and white balls. Without explanation, Forde knew what these were. Drawing from his databases on the latest experimental technologies, Forde knew they were pokeballs. Such technology was as new as he was, and these pokeballs must some of the very few that had been made so far.

“A pity that you will be one of the only ones to get to use the pokeball technology we just developed,” the director commented. “It had such promise to bring humans and pokemon together as friends. Why don’t you try them both out, so that I might see my friends one last time?”

Forde activated the pokeballs, releasing the inhabitants onto the table. From the first came Eevee, a small fox-like pokemon with mostly brown fur, except for some almost white fur on the tip of its tail or the mane around its neck. From the second came Pachirisu, a small squirrel that was mostly white except for the light blue stripe running down the middle of its back and tail. The blue coloring also covered its small pointed ears. It also had small yellow circles on its cheeks.

Forde had the Opal translator, a program made centuries ago by one of the heroes that allowed humans and pokemon to understand each other. The director also had one on the computer, so he smiled as he spoke to the two pokemon. “My friends, it’s good to see you again. How was the stay in the pokeballs?”

The Pachirisu hopped up and down in excitement, generating a few sparks from his body. “It was great! Just like taking a nap where you suddenly wake up and it’s later!”

“You’re as energetic as always, Chiro,” The director chuckled. “How about you, Kita?”

Kita, the Eevee, stretched and yawned. “Since I felt nothing, I’ll have to say it was neither good nor bad.”

The director patted both the pokemon on their heads. “As practical as ever Kita. Now, since you two will both be traveling with him, I’d like you both to meet Forde.”

Forde stepped towards the table to examine the pokemon. Chiro jumped onto his arm, and climbed up to his shoulder, the soft fur of the squirrel pokemon brushing against Forde. Kita sniffed Forde curiously, easily noticing the absence of the normal smells humans had.

Chiro climbed on top of Forde’s hair, and then hopped back down to the table. “He seems like a human to me, but I thought you were making a machine.”

Forde smiled at the two. “Pleased to meet you both. I was designed to be like humans, so telling me apart by looks alone would be impossible.”

A minor tremor shook the lab, and the lights dimmed for a second. The director urged them to hurry. “Are you all ready to go? The safest place possible is where the worlds are already the closest. That is why we are sending you all to the Relic Academy, since it was the point from which this world was split off from the original one. We’ll have to use the jets, since our other methods aren’t as reliable with the unstable energies caused by this world collapsing.”

Kita groaned. “Not the jets. I can’t stand them. Put me back in the pokeball until we arrive.”

Forde returned Kita to her pokeball, while Chiro climbed on his shoulder. He then followed the director to the jet that was readied for their trip. It was a small jet, but among the fastest in the world.

Before Forde climbed into the aircraft, the director gave them a few last words of advice. “Farewell and good luck. I have to stay here to help. Not that there is much we can do to stop the end of the world. We’ve already tried. Forde, you’re our only hope for the future. Also, Chiro, be sure to keep Forde’s battery charged. That’s why we needed an electric pokemon like you to volunteer for this.”
Forde waved goodbye as the hatch began to shut. Chiro shouted as loud as his small voice could manage. “Don’t worry! I’ll take care of him!”

The hatch closed and the jet took off. Chiro scurried up and down the few seats in the jet, looking out the different windows. Eventually, he returned to Forde’s shoulder. “Forde, I’m so excited to be going back to Relic Academy! That’s where me and Kita were at when we met the director. I know they gave you all the human knowledge, but you should spend some time at the academy and learn about all the pokemon knowledge.”

“According to the plan, I must wait for five years after this world converges with the other, so that will be a good way to spend my time. After the five years, I’m supposed to meet with the legendary pokemon and learn of their purposes and stories.”

“I’ve never met a legendary pokemon either! I’ll get to do the most exciting things with you, Forde.”

The jet landed, and Forde released Kita once again. The three were taken to the portal between the worlds of Arrol and Geonne, and soon they arrived in the world of Geonne, the world of the pokemon.

As predicted, Relic Academy remained mostly untouched by the disasters caused by the world of Arrol converging with the world of Geonne. The two worlds in the separate dimensions became one world once again. Elsewhere in the world, the convergence caused much greater problems. As predicted, the cities of the humans were destroyed, leaving humans to build up from nothing once more, except now, they had pokemon to live with, unlike the last time. Last time, the world of Arrol had been created for humans to live separate from pokemon, but now they would have to live in the same world once more. The plan accounted for all of this, and almost nothing could change the world enough for the plan to fail.

--------------------------------------------

There you go, the prologue. It feels quite different from the rest of the story, and if I wrote it now it would probably be quite different. I'll see how you like/don't like it. Also, I think I'll probably post 2 or 3 chapters for this a week until I catch up to the point I'm at in writing the story, chapter 19. Also, since this story is partially a sequel, but mostly its own story, I could provide a link to the prequel, if anyone requests it.

Interesting, to say the least. And it's definitely original. There are very few fics that star a robot (Pokemon fics, anyway), but there's not much more I can comment on, seeing as it's just the prologue. I'll keep an eye on this, for sure.

Chapter 1

Notes: Chapter 1 takes place quite a few years after the prologue. It also begins part 1 of the story which lasts from chapters 1 to 19.

Part 1: The Road of Chaos

Chapter 1: Setting Out

Draconis sat sunning on a rock. He was the son of Draconis, as were all his forefathers, since it was the tradition in his family to name the first male in each generation Draconis. As a name, it helped remind him of the heroic deeds of his ancestors, but at the moment, Draconis the Charmander sat sunning on a large rock just outside of Relic Academy. His smooth orange scales soaked up the sun, while the white scales of his belly sat on the cool rock. On the tip of his tail, his flame flickered merrily. He yawned, and scraped his claws against the rock as he stretched.

Near a shaded pond, Draconis‘s friend, Annox was napping. Annox the Turtwig always loved to sleep, and today was no different. The light green turtle with yellow feet and yellow jaw, sat curled in the shade near his favorite pond. His legs were curled up beneath his brown shell, and his head rested on the ground. The brown stalk on the top of Annox’s head pointed to the side, where the two leaves that grew on it swayed in the breeze.

Draconis approached, and since his friend was asleep decided to play his favorite trick on him. Draconis held his tail and placed the flaming tip of it near Annox’s shell.

Annox mumbled as he started to roll over in his sleep. “Too hot, must get back into shade.”

Annox rolled straight into the pond, and splashed about as he climbed out of the water. “Draconis! Why do you always do that? Can’t you just let me sleep?”

Draconis sat down as he laughed and laughed. “How could I not do that? It’s so funny! It works every time, too.”

“Why did you come and wake me up anyway? If it isn’t important, I might just go find somewhere else to sleep.”

“Well, Annox, I was bored and wanted to see if you knew of anything to do.”

“We could always go see what Hurdy is doing, but he probably is just in class.”

“Yep, Hurdy always studies hard and goes to class, but he might have something fun to do. Or maybe Forde could come back, but he only comes a few times a year.”

“Yeah, Forde is pretty interesting. I heard he came here 25 years ago, and stayed for a few years before setting out. He journeys the world, doing only what others can guess at. I also heard that he is the only human who can talk to pokemon anymore.”

“That is interesting, Annox, and maybe Hurdy knows more about it. Let’s go see if he’s done with class.”

Draconis and Annox set off to the center of Relic Academy to find their friend, Hurdy. They passed the small buildings and dwellings of the town and arrived at the large building in the center. The academy itself was the largest building, made of wood from the jungle that surrounded the town. Several classrooms and a large library filled up the academy.

Once, humans had visited the academy, but only Forde came after the disasters of 25 years ago. The disasters also made so no humans could speak with pokemon. The pokemon still learned and gathered their own knowledge, and the family of Swampert still headed the academy, as they had since the hero, Ben, had founded the academy.

Draconis and Annox entered the quiet hallway of the academy, looking for their friend Hurdy. Peeking into the first classroom, they saw him sitting near the door. Hurdy was a Mudkip, and was also the son of the headmaster of the academy. He had attended classes and studied the books of the library for the several years of his young life. As a Mudkip, he had moist blue skin, darker on the top and lighter on the bottom. He had a large fin on his head and another on his posterior. He also had spiky orange gills on his cheeks.

Hurdy was paying close attention to the lecture. The teacher, a Kadabra, droned on about the recent history. “…and so, when Aureolus, the one who provided the power that kept the worlds separate was killed, the power began to fade. After centuries, all the power was gone, and so the worlds combined into one. Remember this, and we will pick it up tomorrow.”

Kadabra finished his lecture for the day, and the students filed out. Hurdy stepped out into the hall, and felt a cold claw tapping him on the shoulder. Spinning around, he saw both of his friends, Draconis and Annox.

“Hello, what a fascinating lecture that was,” Hurdy explained. “Interesting how the events of the heroes had such repercussions. We can never be too certain about how our choices will affect the future.”

“If you ask me it seemed pretty boring,” Draconis replied. “We came to see if you have anything fun to do, since we’re bored out of our minds at the moment. Annox is going to fall asleep any moment if we don’t find anything to do.”

Hurdy smiled. “Annox would fall asleep anyway, even if there was something to do.”

“I would not,” Annox argued. “I don’t sleep all the time. I tend to my garden, but that only takes a small part of the day. I even tried to come listen to the lectures here once, but that put me to sleep.”

Hurdy started walking down the hallway and the others followed. “Well at least you tried once, unlike Draconis. I think my father had some interesting news, so we should go see what it is.”

The three walked down the hallway to the rooms where Hurdy and his family lived. Hurdy’s father, a large and intelligent Swampert, was there having lunch, and invited the three to join him.

Hurdy’s father finished his meal. “So, I suppose you three are here to get the news? Well I’ll tell it to you while you finish eating. Pelipper just brought me a message from Forde, and it said he will be here today. He said he has much to discuss and tell us.”

Hurdy finished off the last few bites of an orange. “Forde is always an interesting person, especially since he is the only human around here any more. I find it odd that he never seems to age. The Espeon and Pachirisu that are with him also don’t seem to age very much over the years that I’ve seen them.”

“Yes, those are very good observations, and I’ve noticed them myself,” Hurdy’s father added. “When your grandfather ran the academy, there used to be other humans that would come, but now they no longer can understand us. I once asked Forde why he never ages, but he just said it was a complicated matter. Why don’t you go look and see if he has come yet?”

Draconis, Hurdy, and Annox all went outside in anticipation of Forde’s arrival. They climbed a large pile of stone that was part of the ruins around Relic Academy. At the top, they surveyed the surrounding ruins, and saw a man approaching. He had on a green cloak, a large pack, and held a large wooden staff. He deftly jumped over any stones or small walls in his way, and arrived in a few minutes.

Forde walked up to the outskirts of Relic Academy and released both Chiro and Kita from their pokeballs. Chiro, showing his usual energy, scurried up to Forde’s shoulder. Kita, who was now an Espeon, walked beside him. As an Espeon, Kita had smooth purple fur, a red gem in the center of her forehead, and tufts of fur protruding from her cheeks. She had long ears that could hear excellently, and her thin tail split into two rounded ends.

Kita stretched a little like she always did when being released from her pokeball. “So, we’re back here, Forde? At least the pokemon are pleasant and intelligent here. The usual wild ones are ignorant of the world and everything on it.”

Chiro scurried from shoulder to shoulder, surveying the town. “Hurray! We’re back here. Always a bit of fun to see this place again. Forde, do you need your battery recharged?”

Forde checked his statistics. “It has been quite a while since our last recharge, and I’m down to 63% of battery capacity, so you should recharge it.”

Chiro charged up his thundershock and gently zapped the area where Forde’s internal battery was located.

“That’s enough, Chiro,” Forde announced. “Hey, look, those young ones are coming to greet us. I stored their names, so I’d better access that data. They are Draconis the Charmander, age 8, Hurdy the Mudkip, age 7, and Annox the Turtwig, age 9.”

Draconis approached Forde first. “I was hoping you would come and share some more interesting stories! It is great to see you, Forde! How have your travels been?”

Kita blocked Draconis from getting any closer to Forde. “Back off! He’ll tell you all later.”

“Now Kita, don’t be so harsh,” Forde suggested. “These young pokemon are happy to see me. Draconis, it is good to see you again. My travels were fruitful, as always, and I will tell you more later. Come along, and I’ll tell my news once we gather everyone at the academy.”

Hurdy ran ahead as they neared the academy. “I’ll go get my father to round up everyone!”

Forde sat down on a fallen pillar as the pokemon of the academy gathered. Soon, everyone was there.

Hurdy’s father walked up beside Forde. “Forde, it is our honor to have you visit us again. Please, tell us of your travels and the news of the world.”

Forde set his pack, cloak, and staff down, his brown hair and green eyes looking the same age as before. “Greetings, kind pokemon. It is an honor to share my knowledge with you. In my recent travels, I have seen some troubling things. As you all know, some pokemon help humans who befriend them, but more recently some people have began to capture pokemon and train them to fight for them. They usually capture pokemon that are young and train them to obey. These trained pokemon are now being used in contests between the human kingdoms. Battles both large and small have began to break out, and I have been trying to stop this practice from being used. If any of you are interested, I have a job for any pokemon willing to help me. I need someone to deliver a message to Mewtwo and Mew while I go to continue my attempts to stop the humans from capturing pokemon.”

In the audience, Draconis turned to Annox and Hurdy. “Hey, we should help Forde. I’ve always wanted to see the world, and this could be our chance. What do you guys think?”

Annox seemed fine with the idea. “As I sleep I sometimes dream of the places I’ve heard about in stories. I want to see the plains, deserts, and mountains, instead of just being in this jungle my whole life.”

Hurdy seemed to come to a conclusion. “Traveling the world will surely increase my knowledge in a way that staying here never would. Meeting with Mewtwo and Mew, who knew the heroes, will also be a chance to hear about that tale from those who saw it firsthand. A journey of discovery would be the perfect thing for me.”

“Forde, we will take up your mission!” Draconis announced.

Forde looked at them with his steady green eyes. “You may be young, but you have a lot of potential. You will be fine for the journey. I’ll draw you some maps, and give you some supplies, and you should be ready to go tomorrow.”

The rest of the day passed in preparation. The parents of Draconis, Annox, and Hurdy all agreed that a journey would do each of them good. Early the next morning, the three met with Forde, Kita, and Chiro.

Forde handed them a small pouch of supplies and two pieces of paper. “Here are some supplies for you, as well as the message and a map. I’ll be traveling shortly as well, but I have other places to be. Just follow the map and you should be fine. I thank you for accepting this mission, and if you finish it, I’ll try to get something good for each of you.”

Hurdy took the map and message, while Draconis shouldered the pouch. “I’m so excited to see the world, thank you for giving us this chance. I hope to see you soon when we are done.”

Forde waved farewell as the trio walked away. “Have a safe journey. I would avoid most humans if I were you, especially if they look like they are trying to capture pokemon.”

As Draconis, Annox, and Hurdy entered the jungle, Hurdy looked at the map. “It is simple enough. If we just follow the old path to where Pokemon Square once was, we should end up close to the cave were Mewtwo and Mew live. I wonder what the message is.”

“Are you sure we should read the message?” Annox questioned.

“Well, he never said we couldn’t read it,” Draconis stated. “Don’t you want to see what it says?”

Hurdy unfurled the paper. “Mewtwo and Mew,” it began. “I am sending this message since over the past few months I have seen several things that are concerning me. The plan is not going as it should, and the recent practice of humans capturing pokemon is evidence of this. Something is leading the humans in a different direction than mine, and I was hoping you might have some information on this. Sincerely, Forde.”

For Hurdy, the paper raised tons of new questions, which he voiced to Draconis and Annox. “Hmm, interesting. I wonder what this plan is. Mewtwo and Mew seem to be very old friends of Forde. I wonder just how old he is, and why he is trying to lead the humans in a certain direction. What could be stopping Forde and changing the humans?”

“I knew we shouldn’t have read it,” Annox stated. “It didn’t help us at all.”

Draconis started walking down the path. “Annox is right. The message isn’t meant to be understood by us. Let’s just do our job and deliver it.”

The three continued down the path through the shady jungle. The cries and sounds of many pokemon echoed through the steamy jungle. The thick trees and vines grew above the path, but the way was clear, so the three walked away from Relic Academy, each step taking them further from home than they had ever been before.

---------------------------------------------

Chapter 1 is quite a good beginning. If I had written it more recently, I'd probably develop the characters and their families a little more. As the chapter is, it has them starting their adventure quickly, but failed to mention much about the families of the characters or much of their pasts. Expect chapter 2 sometime tomorrow.

Chapter 2

Notes: Chapter 2 focuses on two other new characters. The chapters from now on will focus on one group or the other for some time.

Chapter 2: Blind Eye

Prince Leon awoke and began his customary morning ritual. Arising from his elegant bed, he washed his thin face, but didn’t bother to change his unkempt green hair. He put on his usual brown leather armor and green cape over his lean frame, which helped him feel a bit warmer in the drafty stone castle in which he lived. The castle itself was the center of the small kingdom of Alagarde, which his father, King Desmond had established shortly after the collapse.

The kingdom had first just been a small village of survivors banding together in the new world where they no longer had the technology that once made their lives easy. Leon was too young to have lived in the old world, but people of his father’s generation always spoke of it with a painful longing. The small village, which was first crude huts, had slowly became better over the years, more people had came to it, and several years ago the people had managed to build a small castle and walls around the town for protection. During that time, Leon’s mother had fell ill, and passed away.

Leon grabbed his trusted bow, slung his quiver over his shoulder, and turned to wake Elomir. Elomir was a Flygon, a dragon pokemon who now sat sleeping peacefully on a pile of pillows in the corner of the room. His smooth green scales glimmered in the morning light that streamed in through the small window. His wings, outlined with red, lay curled up on his back.

Leon remembered when he first found Elomir, a small and frightened Trapinch that had wondered into the fields of the town. That was 11 years ago, when he was 5 years old.

Leon gently placed a hand on one of the two dark green tips that rose from Elomir’s head. The tips were also the same color as the top of Elomir’s back legs and several bands on his tail. The end of his tail was three flat diamond-shaped areas outlined in red, which now flicked as the first sign of Elomir’s awakening. Beneath the red circular lenses that covered them, Elomir’s eyes flickered open. Elomir stretched out his thin front arms and his thick back legs and took a step, his claws clicking on the stone floor.

Leon patted Elomir on his side. “Well, look like it's time to be up for another day. Let’s go get something to eat.”

Elomir let out a sleepy, but approving growl, and so the two went to get breakfast.

After a quick meal, Leon hopped on Elomir’s back and the two flew to their training course they had set up on the outskirts of town, beyond the houses of the villagers and the fields. On a tree in the center of a field were many targets Leon had set up, and around the field, large stones marked from Elomir’s attacks were scattered about.

Elomir began circling above the field and swooped down at one of the rocks, unleashing his dragonbreath attack. At the same time, Leon had strung and shot an arrow from his bow from the back of Elomir. The arrow sank into the center of the target, and Elomir’s attack left black marks all over the rock. The pair continued their training for some time, but stopped as a small group of troops approached.

At the head of the troops was General Berose and his Metagross. General Berose was Leon’s mentor in battle techniques, and had led the forces of Alagarde in all their minor battles over the years. These battles mostly consisted of driving off powerful wild pokemon and small skirmishes with bandits. Berose was an older man in his 50s with grey hair, and a large moustache. Even though he was quite old, his large frame and muscles were a bit daunting underneath the silver armor that he wore. He carried a lance, which was his main weapon.

The troops halted and General Berose approached. “Greetings Prince, I see you’re training as usual. His majesty, the king, wanted to see you.”

Leon turned from his thoughts to give Berose a reply. “Thank you for bringing me the message, Berose. Are these some of the new recruits that you’ve been training? Do you know why the king has been increasing troop numbers so much these past few months?”

“Yes, these are some of the newer soldiers that I’m training. I don’t yet know why the king wants more troops, but if it is what the king wants, then it is my duty to fulfill his commands. He has seemed a bit different over the past few months, but he is still an excellent king.”

Leon retrieved his arrows from the targets and headed back to the castle. Outside, a large group of rough-looking men were waiting. They had several pokemon in cages and on chains, and they all held whips at their sides. Leon and Elomir flew over them and entered the castle.

Inside the throne room, King Desmond sat on his throne. It was made of the same gray stone of the castle. Contrasting to the gray stone, the king wore luxurious clothes of red and purple, stretched a little by the king‘s round belly. His small gold crown sat on his green hair. At the side of the throne sat the Armaldo that Desmond had befriended a long time ago. Around 40 years old, the king had seen the collapse. He led a small group and founded the kingdom of Alagarde. He had always a kind and great leader, but recently he had been behaving a little strange. He no longer seemed to know Leon, his son who he had been so close to before. He also no longer talked or joked like he used to.

Beside King Desmond stood a person unfamiliar to Leon. He wore a similar outfit to those outside, which consisted of chainmail, leather gloves, and brown pants. The man had greasy black hair, and a scarred face. At his side was a whip. His body held quite a bit of fat, but beneath it, Leon could tell there was some muscle.

The king turned to Leon. “Greetings. I would like you to meet Lasrev. He is the leader of the Crows, who will be joining the forces of our kingdom as we prepare to invade the kingdom of Farna. I trust you will also help lead the forces as they begin the war.”

His father’s words seemed like utter madness to Leon. “Father, you are a fool! Allying with these bandits and attacking Farna, which has done nothing but provide us with trade, shows that something has gone wrong. What happened to the great and wise leader, who I was proud to have as my father?”

Lasrev walked up to him, followed by a Grumpig and Camerupt. “Listen boy, you should obey your father. He is wise to choose the Crows, since we don’t follow the foolish old concept of befriending pokemon. Instead we capture them when they are young, and through a bit of conditioning, make so they obey all orders and are excellent at fighting.”

The king also seemed annoyed. “You will listen to me! If you want to have any place in this kingdom, then you will obey. Lasrev, why don’t you convince him of your potential to help our kingdom.?”

Lasrev bowed to the king. “As you wish, your majesty. Go, Camerupt! Show them what the power of training pokemon as weapons can achieve!”

“You think you can beat my friend, Elomir the Flygon?” laughed Leon. “I’ll show you what a pokemon raised as a friend is capable of!”

Elomir let out a roar and landed facing the Camerupt. Camerupt led the battle, unleashing a flamethrower at Elomir. Elomir gracefully dodged to the side, and the flames hit the stone wall. Elomir followed up with a sand tomb attack. The sand surrounded Camerupt, making so it couldn’t move. The sand continued building around Camerupt filling the two volcano-like openings on its back.

“That’s enough Elomir, we’ve shown these fools what we can do,” commanded Leon.

Elomir landed with a flourish, showing off a little after winning.

Lasrev was furious. “You, you brat! You may have beat one of my pokemon, but by capturing them, I can get many pokemon, while you only have one. If it came down to it, I would win by numbers alone, even if mine aren’t as strong.”

The king interrupted Lasrev. “Silence. I still command you to obey me, prince, or suffer the consequences. You will join the war efforts!”

“No, I won’t join this insane war that you’ve decided to wage!” replied Leon. “I’ll accept the consequences rather than attack the kingdom of Farna, who we have been at peace with for so long. These recent decisions of yours just show me that you are crazy. You are no longer the man who was my father!”

The king slammed his fist onto the arm of his throne. “Do you think I need you for this war? You would be useful, but if you are deciding to rebel against me there is only one option for you! Leave the kingdom at once! You are banished!”

Lasrev grinned and went back to the king‘s side. “See, you can’t defy the king! My forces, the Crows, will continue to capture and train pokemon to fight, and we shall fight where the king desires! The plunder, glory, and lands will certainly fall partially to us! You are the fool for not joining!”

Leon stormed out of the castle with Elomir close behind.

Just as Leon finished climbing onto Elomir’s back, General Berose approached. “So, did you hear about the war? It saddens me to have to fight our neighboring kingdom, but if it is the king’s will, I obey.”

“Perhaps it is your job to obey, but I will not follow my father’s will in this matter! I have been banished for defying him, and so I bid you farewell, General. Something is terribly wrong with my father, and so I’m leaving to try and find the truth. Perhaps someone out there knows what is going on, and I’ll look for them. I seem to remember a man in a green cloak visiting my father occasionally, so I’m going to seek him out.”

Elomir took off, and he and Leon flew to the South, to go warn Farna. Below them stretched the forest between the kingdoms of Alagarde and Farna. From above, Leon could see plenty of pokemon in the forest, but a small group of humans sneaking about in the center of the forest attracted his attention.

As Leon and Elomir flew closer, they could tell with certainty that it was a small group of the Crows, out hunting for pokemon to capture. At the moment they surrounded something which had been caught in their trap.

“Elomir, head down. Looks like we need to show them that pokemon are more than just things to be captured and used for battle and plundering. The Crows are despicable. They are still bandits like always, and they are just joining my father to get some loot. Let’s show them a thing or two!”

* * *

Back at the castle, King Desmond sat silently on his throne, but inside his mind the strange voice spoke to him.

“Good work, you didn’t need that boy anyway,” the voice stated. “As a reward I shall give you a few memories back.”

A few memories of his wife returned to King Desmond, and he went over them several times in his mind. He couldn’t remember when, but some time ago, he had somehow lost all his memories. Then a voice that no one else could hear came to him, offering to give him back his memories if he would fulfill all of its orders. So far it had told him to prepare for and begin this war. He could only hope its demands didn’t go much further, but the voice was all he had now. It guided and led him in the world that made no sense without his memories.

Over the months, the king also believed that he sometimes saw the being that the voice belonged to. It seemed to be an indistinct black mist at first, but it seemed to slowly be gaining a form. It still was too intangible to tell what it was, but every time the king heard the voice, he always looked for the being that it belonged to.

The king thought he saw the being for a moment, and it began speaking. “We’re finally beginning the war. My plans are coming much closer to being fulfilled. Oh, how long I’ve waited! To no longer be a pathetic, faded being! Nothing must stop us, and nothing shall! After all, nothing in this world knows what I am. Not even you, King Desmond.”

------------------------------------

I cut some pointless thinking to self dialog from my earlier version of this chapter. I don't think it needed it at all. Next chapter should come around Saturday.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Dangers of the Trail

Annox, Draconis, and Hurdy began the day as they had the past several days of their journey. After getting some breakfast, they would set out along their path. Draconis lead the way, slowly getting ahead. Hurdy walked alongside Draconis, but stopped from time to time to examine an interesting rock, tree, animal, or pokemon. Annox was the slowest of the three and would slowly fall behind.

Draconis turned around, glaring at his two friends. “Why are you two so slow? I have to stop every few minutes just to tell you to catch up!”

Hurdy, just a short ways behind, caught up with Draconis. “Come now, Draconis, there is nothing to be upset about. Annox is just naturally slower than you, so you should take some time, like me, and learn from the world that we get to see. So far I think I’ve seen several rare plants, new kinds of rocks, and…”

Annox finally caught up and interrupted Hurdy. “Hey, it looks like I’ve caught up now, but why have you guys stopped? Are we going to take a break?”

Draconis let out a sigh, and continued on at a slow pace. “Oh, it’s nothing Annox. Just come along.”

During the days of their travels, Draconis, Annox, and Hurdy had left the jungle after the first day. They moved across some grasslands, the wind blowing gently through the grasses as they passed. Now they found themselves in a forest. Leafy trees and many bushes grew around them, and to the side of the forest was the mountain range that they were supposed to follow until it ended.

Hurdy had the map out again, making sure they were following the route. “Interesting, it says that there are several human kingdoms up ahead, but it also shows that if we continue going through this forest, we will go between the two nearest ones. The southernmost kingdom is called Farna, and it appears to be a small kingdom near the coast. To the north is the larger kingdom of Alagarde. Forde also has drawn many other kingdoms to the north and the west, so it looks like we’ll be in human lands for quite some time.”

Annox froze up for a brief moment. “Wait, human lands? Didn’t the message say they capture pokemon? It sounds a little scary to me.”

The flame on the tip of Draconis’s tail seemed to flare up. “I’m ready to face anything. Bring it on! Humans will never be able to capture us with me around!”

Hurdy continued examining their route. “We shouldn’t even see any humans as long as we keep going the way we are. I’ve learned that humans usually stay near their homes, and none of those will be in the forest.”

As they continued on, Annox still had some fears, but felt better after remembering all that Hurdy had studied on many subjects. Soon enough, it was time for lunch. As they moved along, they had just been gathering berries and other food from their surroundings. Draconis sat down on the mossy ground near a stream. “Well, it is time for lunch. I think it is time for Annox to get the food, since me and Hurdy have gotten it every time before this.”

“I agree,” Hurdy stated. “Annox should also do his part, and since he has more experience and skill with plants than either of us, Annox is the perfect person to search for berries or fruit.”

Annox had known that he would have to get the food eventually. “Okay, I guess it is my turn, but if I get the food can we have a longer break than usual before starting after lunch? I always like to take a small nap after lunch, but you two haven’t let me as we’ve been traveling.”

Draconis finished getting a drink from the stream. “If you find good food, we’ll take a longer break just for you. And by good food, I mean lots of it, so you’d better get searching.”

Annox did exactly as told and took a small pouch from their supplies to gather food with. He followed the stream, where he knew plants usually would be found. Unfortunately, only moss and large trees seemed to grow near the stream. Eventually the stream meandered through a small clearing, and Annox could see many berry-laden bushes ahead.

Annox entered the clearing and started loading the delicious berries off of a bush into his pouch. As he grabbed the last of the berries from this particular bush, he looked around to decide which bush to go to next. Suddenly, he smelled the scent of many fruit coming from the center of the clearing. In the center was a pile of what looked to be the juiciest and best fruit Annox had ever saw on a patch of dirt.

Annox’s mouth began to water as he happily bounded over to the pile of fruit, but as soon as he jumped on the patch of dirt, an odd cracking sound came from below him. The patch of dirt with the fruit collapsed into a pit in the ground. Annox shook the dirt from the leaves growing from the top of his head, confused at what had just happened.

Annox had fallen into some trap, and realized that the fruit wasn’t natural. Annox still wanted the fruit, and put it in his pouch as he yelled out for help. The pit was too deep for him to get out of, with steep dirt walls that crumbled when he tried to climb them. Annox yelled all the louder, hoping that Hurdy would have a plan to get him out.

To Annox’s dismay, his calls for help brought the dreaded humans. They wore thick brown clothes, and had on thick leather gloves. At first two gazed down into the pit, but a third one who seemed to be the leader approached. The leader had brown beard and dirty face.

“Well, look here! A young Turtwig,” the boss began. “Lasrev will be pleased when we bring in this one. You two put him in a cage.”

Meanwhile, Draconis and Hurdy had heard Annox’s calls for help. At the edge of the clearing they watched as the three humans surrounded the trap. The humans had a Houndour, an Exeggcute, and a Stantler with them.

“Come on, let’s go help Annox,” Draconis whispered.

“I don’t think we can take on all of them, especially the Stantler,” replied Hurdy.

“Come on, I’ll take out the Exeggcute, you take out the Houdour, and then we can both fight the Stantler.”

“I’m still not so certain. We should just wait and free him later when they aren’t looking.”

Just at that moment, the humans tried to get Annox. One reached down into the pit, but Annox fiercely bit down on his hand. Annox then unleashed a razor leaf, which cut the man’s arm which he had blocked his face with.

“Looks like it will put up a bit of a fight after all!” laughed the boss. “Use your Houndour to weaken it.”

One of the two lackeys cracked his whip while ordering the Houndour to attack. Just then, Draconis ran from the bushes and hit the Exeggcute with a flamethrower, which knocked it out.

“Oh, our lucky day, another one for us to get!” The boss shouted as he cast a net over Draconis.

As Draconis tried to get free of the net, the Stantler tackled him. Houndour also fulfilled its orders and used a flamethrower on Annox. The attacks stunned both of them, and before they could recover, the men quickly shoved them into small cages.

“I told him not to go, but he did anyway,” Hurdy whispered to himself in the bushes. “I’ll just have to wait and free them when I get the chance.”

The boss and two lackeys started carrying the two cages holding Draconis and Annox away from the clearing, but suddenly a Flygon carrying a young man landed, blocking their path.

Prince Leon aimed his bow at the boss. “My father may have added your group to his kingdom, but I’m no longer a part of that. Release those pokemon or you die!”

“Even if you are prince, you talk big for a boy,” the boss taunted. “We’ll show you!”

Leon released his arrow, which hit the leader in his shoulder. Elomir unleashed his dragonbreath attack, which hit the charging Stantler. Only Houndour was left, and as it prepared to use a flamethrower on the two, a blast of water took it out from behind.

The boss clutched the arrow sticking out of his shoulder. “If any of the Crows see you again, you’re dead meat. You’re lucky we’re just a small hunting group, or else you would have lost.”

The Crows released Draconis and Annox from the cages and took off quickly after their defeat. Hurdy came out of the bush that he had used water gun from, and ran to his friends.

“Well, that turned out alright, thanks to whoever they are. Next time we should follow my plan,” Hurdy stated to Draconis.

Annox seemed filled with joy to be free. “Those terrible humans would have had me if you hadn’t come. This new one also doesn’t seem so bad. Oh, I also got lots of food.”

“We would have been happy just to have you back safely,” Draconis answered. “But if you managed to find food, that’s even better!”

Hurdy had turned his attention to the prince and the Flygon. “I wonder who they are. They did help us, so we should go thank them.”

The three approached Elomir and Leon and bowed in gratitude.

“Hello, young pokemon of the forest,” Elomir stated. “Your gratitude is appreciated. I didn’t think wild pokemon like you had any manners, but you’ve proven otherwise. I am Elomir, a royal pokemon. I serve the great Prince Leon who is currently riding on my back.”

Hurdy couldn’t resist this opportunity to ask some questions. “Hello, Elomir. I’m Hurdy, and these two are Draconis and Annox. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”

“No, that would be fine. I can spare a little time for wild pokemon like you.”

“Great! Now, do humans generally live in peace and happiness with pokemon?”

“Yes, only the villainous group known as the Crows tries to capture pokemon.”

“The books were right, then! Okay, I have just one more question. Do any of the humans understand you?”

“Prince Leon understands my feelings, but not my words. There was a strange man in a green cloak that seemed to be able to hear what I said, but he only would pass through the kingdom from time to time. Now, I’ve had enough of your questions, little Mudkip. How about you answer mine?”

“I suppose it is only fair. Ask away.”

“You three don’t seem like usual wild pokemon. You have some small pouches made by humans. Where are you from and where did you get those pouches?”

“We’re from Relic Academy. We got these pouches from a man named Forde, who is probably the man with the green cloak that you saw before. We are currently delivering a message for him.”

“Relic Academy? You aren’t just the simple wild pokemon I took you for. Well, I must be off now, but I wish you luck on your journey.”

Elomir launched himself and Prince Leon into the sky. “Well, I hope you warned those pokemon to avoid such traps in the future, Elomir,” Leon stated. “I wish I knew what you pokemon were saying. I’ve heard that there once was devices that translated between humans and pokemon, but now they are some of the most rare and valuable devices in the world. Perhaps we might find one, but we need to head to Farna, first.”

Back on the ground, the three had moved into the safety of the forest as they ate their lunch. The fruit used in the trap was some of the best they had ever had, and so they all ate until they could eat no longer.

“Did you notice how that Flygon said wild pokemon?” Draconis commented. “It was as if we weren’t as good as a royal pokemon like him, since we don’t serve some human.”

“He seems to have lot of pride in his friendship with that human,” explained Hurdy. “Royalty among humans also is important in their society, so that Flygon must have picked up some of their attitude by being among them.”

Just as promised, the three took a longer break than usual, and Annox got to take his nap. Draconis and Hurdy chatted about their journey, and what precautions to take to avoid traps in the future. They were about half-way there, but with all the humans around, they would have to take their time and be more cautious.

--------------------------------------------

Okay, another chapter for everyone that is reading this. Am I releasing them too fast? I was thinking of putting up another one Sunday. I also should be able to write chapter 20 sometime soon, but it will be a while before the story catches up to my writing.

So far, you have a wonderful and intriguing plot, with lots of small mysteries, a nice-sized conflict, and many characters with so far well-developed personalities. Oh, and your descriptions of characters are great, too. ^.^

Spoiler:- Nitpicks:

Your descriptions are beautiful, good job on those. One thing that seems to grate on me as I read, however, is that your dialogue is missing something. It gets the point across - but that's it.

Example:

“I agree,” Hurdy stated. “Annox should also do his part, and since he has more experience and skill with plants than either of us, Annox is the perfect person to search for berries or fruit.”

That line made me read it twice before I was sure if what I was reading is what you meant to be saying. If I interpret correctly, you are trying to give Hurdy a feel of almost nerdy-ness by making him speak in perfect and correct grammar and such? Perhaps this could still be better worded, however.

"I agree," Hurdy stated in his precise, clipped voice. "Annox, being the most experienced and skillful of us regarding plants, should do his part by searching for berries."

Maybe that's not the best wording, and sorry if that looks like it went through a meatgrinder, but do you see what I mean? A lot of the characters seem to speak very formally, and it gives the fic an overall choppy feel, especially when people are talking.

Spoiler:- Yay bits!:

I have a job for any pokemon willing to help me. I need someone to deliver a message to Mewtwo and Mew while I go to continue my attempts to stop the humans from capturing pokemon.

Ooh! Any fic involving those two gets an extra brownie point from me. (brownie points can be exchanged at any time for brownies) xP
I can't wait to see how it turns out for the young ones, and what Mew's and Mewtwo's personalities are like.

Then a voice that no one else could hear came to him, offering to give him back his memories if he would fulfill all of its orders.

Ooooh, gotcha! I was beginning to wonder why the heck Prince-boy's father was so quick to banish him for a simple disagreement. I'd given Leon a bit of credit for disagreeing to begin with - Pokemon are friends, not slaves - but I was quite confused until here. Nice plot twist. ^^

One more bit of advice / crit / whatnot, though. I realize you want to catch up to where you are in regards to writing your fanfiction, but I highly caution you against posting chapters so fast. It's daunting to think of reading three chapters at once, let alone all nineteen, so if you want any more reviewer, perhaps wait a few weeks in between?
But for now, you've got me! (or are stuck with me, whichever seems most fitting. xP)

And... That's all I've got for now. xD
If you have a PM list, could you please add me? I'd love to keep reading.
Great job!

Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Voyage

Prince Leon held tight to Elomir as they prepared to land. The thatched roofs and cobblestone paths of the village grew larger as they descended. They came to the ground right in front of the castle, startling a few of the townspeople.

“Hault!” shouted a guard.

A few guards surrounded Leon and Elomir, but remembered who they were. They placed their spears at ease.

“Greetings, Prince Leon of Alagarde!” the captain greeted. “What brings you to Farna?”

Leon dismounted from Elomir. “I’m afraid I have some bad news, and I wish to speak with King Willis.”

“Very well, come with me. Food and water for your pokemon can be found at the stables, if you so desire.”

Leon followed the captain, and Elomir went to the stables. The stables held a few horses, but also housed the pokemon of the Farna’s army. The pokemon were all healthy and some of them seemed to be well trained, much like Alagarde’s own army. Elomir sat down on a soft pile of hay, but soon one of the workers came by with the food and water that was promised.

Elomir eagerly drained the bucket of water, and began eating the meat, apples, and oats that had been brought for him. Elomir finished off the rough food, which certainly wasn’t what he would have got back home, and then headed out to the castle courtyard to wait for Leon. After a few minutes, the courtyard seemed uneventful, so Elomir flew up to the castle wall. The wind changed direction, bringing in the salty sea air from Farna’s port which was a few miles to the south. Between the castle and the port was the homes of the commoners, who mostly were all out in the fields at the time. Down at the port, a few ships were docked, and one looked like it was being loaded with cargo.

“Elomir, are you ready to go?” Leon shouted from below.

Elomir turned and jumped down from the wall and glided down to the courtyard. Leon seemed anxious to go, and jumped up on his back.

King Willis came out to bid them both farewell. King Willis was a young king, in his twenties. He had recently taken the throne, and wore black vest over his white shirt. His blonde hair caught the sunlight as he walked towards the two.

“A final farewell to you both,” he began. “I thank you for this news, and have already sent word that you will be going with the departing ship. It will be leaving shortly, so you had best fly quickly.”

Leon said his farewell, and then urged Elomir to take off.

Leon steadied himself before telling Elomir of his plans. “I told King Willis about my father’s plans, so he won’t be unprepared. King Willis also told me a bit about the man we are looking for. His name is Forde, and acts as an informant and advisor to kings. Willis has spoken to him a few times and followed his advice, and so far it has helped trade and peace prosper. Willis also told me that Forde had recently went on a ship heading to Rockport, so we’ll be heading that way as well. The ship is almost to leave port, so let’s go.”

Elomir beat his wings to head down to the port as quickly as possible. He landed on the docks, with his claws digging into the wood. They found the ship quickly enough. It was a weathered old merchant ship, filled with cargo. The captain welcomed Leon aboard, since he had received the kings message. The captain was an old sea dog, and had plenty of scars and a large black beard. Perched beside him was his Wingull.

As he began speaking, it was obvious the captain was missing a few teeth. “Ahoy, Prince Leon, I‘m Captain Tark! We just got the word that you’d be joining us. My employer would like to see ya. He’s in his quarters.”

The captain took his place at the helm and began yelling orders at the other sailors. The ship began the first steps on its voyage. Prince Leon and Elomir entered the door that the captain had pointed to, and found a thin man pouring over maps, charts, and papers. The man had blue hair, and wore a collared blue shirt with silver buttons. In the corner, on a golden colored pillow, slept a Jigglypuff.

The man extended a hand, and Leon shook it. “Pleased to meet you, I’m Mellano, a merchant. I own this ship, which is called the Windcatcher. I travel the world, trading goods and making quite large amounts of profit. King Willis paid nicely for your passage, so I’ll show you to your quarters.”

Mellano led Leon and Elomir below deck to a room near the head of the ship. It was small, but had enough room for the two to be comfortable. Mellano headed back to his own room, while Leon put their supplies in the room. Elomir disliked the close confines of the ship, and also headed back up to the deck. He perched at the head of the ship, and Captain Tark’s Wingull soon flew up.

“’Ello mate! Pleasure to meet a strong pokemon like you. You’re friends with that prince on board, right?”

Elomir kept looking out over the waves. “Yes, Prince Leon and I have known each other a long time. He is the greatest human I’ve ever met. Now do you have anything important to say, or are you just here for small talk?”

“I was just was being friendly. You don’t need to be so uptight. Talking helps pass the time, and you’ll soon see that you have a lot of that while we sail. You look like you never sailed before.”

“You’re right, but it doesn’t matter. Don’t you have something you are supposed to do?”

“I see that you don’t want to be friendly, and I should get to my scouting duties. I’m always on the lookout for problems like storms and pirates.”

Later on Leon came and looked out over the sea next to Elomir. Before long, the sun sank and the stars filled the sky. Both of them headed down to their quarters, and turned in for the night.

The next morning, fog covered the sea. The ship slowly moved along, and a strange stillness filled the air. Suddenly, a ship appeared out of the fog, and the alarm was shouted.

“Pirates!” was the alert yelled by the sailors, back and forth.

The ship came up next to the Windcatcher, and the pirates began boarding. Captain Tark stood with a large axe in his hands, ready to fight off the enemies. Prince Leon readied his bow, and stood beside him.

The captain chuckled. “I didn’t expect a noble like you to dirty his hands in battle, but you hold your bow well.”

Prince Leon picked off a few pirates with his bow. The captain also traded blows with a few, but was far stronger than them. A Tentacruel that belonged to the pirates climbed up the side of the ship. Wingull hit it with a wing attack, but was swatted to the deck by its tentacles.

The captain ran to check on his injured pokemon. Wingull was not seriously hurt, but it was obvious that the Tentacruel was much stronger than Wingull.

The pirates saw the defeat of the Wingull, and were pleased. “Give up, and we’ll spare your lives!” shouted the pirates. “You have nothing that can defeat our Tentacruel!”

At that moment, Elomir swooped down and hit the Tentacruel with a dragonbreath attack. The Tentacruel moaned a little from the attack, and shot a water gun at Elomir. The water pushed him to the deck, but Elomir recovered and used sand tomb. The wind started blowing, clearing the fog away, and sand started to cover the Tentacruel. As it lost the ability to move, it unleashed a hydro pump in desperation at Elomir. The sand tomb finished and defeated the Tentacruel, but the hydro pump had knocked Elomir overboard into the water.

With their Tentacruel defeated, the pirates retreated. Leon rushed over to the other side of the ship, looking for Elomir.

“Elomir! Where are you?” Leon shouted.

After receiving no reply, Leon spotted Elomir, sputtering and struggling to keep afloat in the waves. Leon was about to dive in, but a strong hand on his shoulder stopped him.

Captain Tark handed him a rope. “Take this, else we won’t be able to haul you back onboard.”

Leon tied the rope around his waist, and then dived in the ocean. He quickly swam over to Elomir, and grabbed him. The captain and the other sailors pulled the two back onboard, and Elomir shook the water off.

Prince Leon went to change into something dry, and Elomir stretched out in the sun to warm up. Elomir closed his eyes, but soon heard a familiar flapping.

Wingull perched on the railing near Elomir. “At least you fight a lot better than you swim!”

Elomir growled. “Do I look like the type to swim? Pokemon like me live in the desert, where water is hard to find.”

“You’d better not fall in again, then. We still have quite a few more days before we get there.”

Wingull flew away, while Elomir recovered from the fear of almost drowning. The sun was warm, and soon Elomir was asleep. Leon had come back on deck, and sat next to Elomir.

“I’ve never been so worried,” Leon whispered. “When I saw you struggling in the water, I never have felt the fear and urgency as then. I’ll have to protect you, even though it is you who protects me most of the time.”

A few more days passed on the boat, but they avoided any more pirates. The weather stayed calm, and soon the city of Rockport was before them.

Your descriptions are beautiful, good job on those. One thing that seems to grate on me as I read, however, is that your dialogue is missing something. It gets the point across - but that's it.

Example:

That line made me read it twice before I was sure if what I was reading is what you meant to be saying. If I interpret correctly, you are trying to give Hurdy a feel of almost nerdy-ness by making him speak in perfect and correct grammar and such? Perhaps this could still be better worded, however.

Maybe that's not the best wording, and sorry if that looks like it went through a meatgrinder, but do you see what I mean? A lot of the characters seem to speak very formally, and it gives the fic an overall choppy feel, especially when people are talking.

One more bit of advice / crit / whatnot, though. I realize you want to catch up to where you are in regards to writing your fanfiction, but I highly caution you against posting chapters so fast. It's daunting to think of reading three chapters at once, let alone all nineteen, so if you want any more reviewer, perhaps wait a few weeks in between?
But for now, you've got me! (or are stuck with me, whichever seems most fitting. xP)

And... That's all I've got for now. xD
If you have a PM list, could you please add me? I'd love to keep reading.
Great job!

~Chareon

I agree that the dialog in these early chapters isn't as good as it could be. Dialog is probably still my weak point, but I think I improved it over time. I still do want to catch up, but I do agree that I probably went a bit fast. How about this rule: you get one chapter a week and a bonus one whenever I write a new chapter (which probably means two per week). Chapter 4 is the bonus one you all get because I finished writing chapter 20.

I probably should also do a PM list, so I'll make one and add you as the first one. Maybe I should add anyone else who posts unless they say otherwise.

Leon tied the rope around his waist, and then dived in the ocean. He quickly swam over to Elomir, and grabbed him. The captain and the other sailors pulled the two back onboard, and Elomir shook the water off.

O.o
This was the only fault I could find. This seems a little bit obscure, for a man and a huge Flygon, big enough to be flown on, to just be hauled up like that? Maybe you could elaborate on how the Captain got all the hands to haul on the rope after Leon tied it around Elomir's stomach? That way it would seem more realistic?

Other than that, nice chapter. The action was a little bit hurried-seeming, and the transitions between scene could use a bit of work, but I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. ^.^

Chapter 5

Chapter 5: God of Thunder

The sun had barely arose, and the chill of night lingered in the air. Already Draconis and Hurdy were up, but Annox slept soundly. Ahead were the first large mountains they would have to cross, and around the tallest one, a dark cloud that shot out lightning continuously remained.

“You’re holding up better than I thought you would,” complimented Draconis.

“Having a fit body makes for a sharp mind, so I didn’t neglect my training while I studied,” Hurdy replied.

“I’m not sure if Annox can hold up so well. He‘s sturdy enough, but he‘s lacking motivation.”

“If his motivation is to see new lands as he said, then there should be no problem, Draconis. He doesn’t really seem the type to just want to leave to see new things, though. Perhaps he really has a deeper reason. Do you think we should try and find out more?”

“If there is something else, it isn’t something he mentions, even to us. We’ll need to be careful. I think it’s time to wake him up now, anyway. Do you think some cold water would do the trick?”

Hurdy grinned in agreement and shot a small amount of water into the air so that it fell, ice cold, on Annox. Annox slowly opened his eyes while a displeased look came over his face.

“Morning already?” he yawned. “Guess I’ll eat quickly so we can be off.”

The group was once again ready to head out. Today, they would be crossing the grasslands and then reach the mountains. After their usual small talk over the weather, the terrain, and such, Hurdy walked closer to Annox.

“So, how are you feeling today, Annox?”

“Good, I think I’m getting used to travel. I think I liked the forest a bit more, since we had more cover.”

“But didn’t the forest work both ways? It gave both us and our enemies places to hide and ambush. Here on the plains it is a bit simpler. With all the open ground, we’ll know who’s coming, and they’ll know we’re coming.”

“If you put it that way, then I guess I like this place, too.”

“Annox, are enjoying seeing the new lands? Wasn’t that why you wanted to travel in the first place?”

“I suppose that was more of an excuse. I really just didn’t want to be all alone when you guys left.”

“Why? Has someone left you before?”

“Um, well, isn’t that mount thunder ahead?”

“That one with all the lightning? That is Mt. Thunder. I wonder if we’ll get to see Zapdos as we go by it.”

Later, the group had stopped for lunch, and once again Hurdy and Draconis allowed Annox to doze off.

“I tried to get him to open up,” Hurdy stated. “You heard. All that we know now is that seeing new things is just a small part of his reason. I think someone left him in the past, someone he looked up to or cared about. But who could that be?”

Draconis shrugged. “Beats me. There have been too many pokemon that come and go from the academy to know. We’ve both known Annox the same amount of time, and whoever left Annox must have done it before we met him. I’ll try later, but I think we should just focus on moving forward with our mission.”

Draconis went to wake up Annox, this time doing it a bit more gently than his usual style. Annox figured it was because Draconis was in his usual hurry to get moving. Soon they neared the mountains. Many bushes grew on the rocky ledges in the path they would be taking, and a small human village was near the base of Mt. Thunder.

As the path narrowed, a slight rustle disturbed one of the bushes. Suspicious, the three went over to check it out.

“Whoever you are,” Draconis began, “You can come out before I burn the bush down. You have 10 seconds to act.”

Draconis began to count down, but just as he was about to reach zero, all the nearby bushes rustled a bit, and then both Draconis and Annox found themselves paralyzed.

“Ah, Thunder Wave!” Hurdy gasped. “But who would be attacking us?”

Hurdy wasted no more time and used mud sport, covering the narrow path in sticky mud. The attackers revealed themselves with their next move, as a few humans stood up. The humans wore white and black robes with lightning patterns and symbols on them. Alongside the humans were electric pokemon of all types. The electric pokemon surrounded the three, and an impressive Manectric stepped forward, his fur rippling slightly in the breeze.

“Surrender, you three. The Charmander and Turtwig won’t be able to avoid our thunder wave attacks, and so with only one Mudkip, you can’t win.”

Hurdy pondered the situation. “I guess I have no choice, but will you give me an explanation?”

The Manectric obliged his request. “The god of thunder desires to meet with you before you continue. Why he wants to see such young and weak pokemon like yourself is beyond me, but you should consider yourselves lucky to get to be in his presence. Just follow along and don’t try to escape.”

“Wait, I have one more question. What do you think of the humans you serve?”

“We serve them out of friendship and loyalty, and also at the request of the god of thunder. He was the one who brought them here, and told us to look after them. Now come along.”

Both Draconis and Annox recovered from their paralysis, and the three were then lead towards the mountain. The noise of thunder got louder and the flashes of lightning grew closer. Soon, they had reached the human village. There was a brief rest as the elder of the humans came to join the procession. He was balding with small amounts of grey hair on the sides of his head, but the robes he wore were the most notable thing about him. They were entirely white with lightning patterns made of pure gold and silver. He took the head of the group, and as they started up the mountain it transformed into a procession.

Several of the humans carried baskets of food, which were probably going to be given to the god of thunder. Soon, the sun was gone, and still the group walked solemnly up the mountain paths, their way lit by the frequent flashes of lightning. Draconis tried to speak once, but received a warning shock from the Manectric, and was told to be silent.

As they neared the top, the humans and electric pokemon began chanting.

Once at the top, all were silent. The humans placed the baskets of food in a circle, and then proceeded to light six torches that were placed in a circular pattern as well. Suddenly, a massive lightning bolt hit the already blackened center of the circle, blinding everyone. Once they could see again, Zapdos, in all his splendor, was standing where the lightning had struck. His pointed yellow feathers matched the lightning, and his black feathers matched the dark sky. He gazed down at the group over his sharp orange beak.

When Zapdos spoke, it was in both the speech of pokemon and of humans. “Kneel, humans and pokemon!” After this command was obeyed, Zapdos continued his speech. “Your sacrifice is pleasing to me. You may return to the village, but leave those three with me.”

As they all stopped bowing, and looked up, Hurdy noticed that Zapdos had a small device strapped around one of his legs. It looked like some of the lost technology of the humans. Zapdos examined Draconis, Hurdy, and Annox, who were all too afraid to move. Zapdos examined the baskets, eating a few pieces of fruit and meat from one.

“With supplies like yours, you must be working for Forde,” Zapdos began.

“That is right,” Hurdy stated.

“I saw you coming ever since you left the forest, and since I knew you are working with Forde, I’d see what the electronic man was up to. Now tell me your names.”

Draconis was the first to introduce himself, but before anyone else could, Zapdos spoke once more. “Draconis, such a familiar name. It has been a long time since I met your ancestor, but you seem almost exactly like him. Luckily, you won’t have to fight me like he did. If I’m right, this Mudkip is also the descendant of Ben.”

“Yes, you are right. My name is Hurdy.”

“Well, your ancestor was one of the most interesting pokemon and humans around. Saving two worlds was no small feat, and perhaps you might get the chance to have a similar legacy, if the recent events are any indication. Now, what is your name, Turtwig?”

“I’m Annox.”

“Well, now that introductions are out of the way, I’ll let you each pick one fruit from the offerings while I explain what I want from you.”

The three were happy to get some food after the long trip up the mountain, and thanked Zapdos for his hospitality. Zapdos wasted no time, and got straight to his demands.

“Okay, here is what I want from you. The first is to explain what you are doing for Forde. The second is for you to deliver a message to Forde. Simple enough, right?”

“Wait, I have a question,” Hurdy stated. “Well, actually two. First, what is the device on your leg? Second, why did you call Forde an electronic man? Isn’t electronic a word used to describe the lost technologies?”

“If you had been questioning my demands, you would be a fool, but I can see you are sharp. You must have noticed how I can speak to the humans, and the device on my leg lets me do so. And the second question? I don’t think I’m going to answer that one. I really should have been more careful with my words.”

Hurdy gave up on pressing the issue. “Now that you’ve answered my questions, I’ll answer your demands. Here is what we are delivering for Forde to Mewtwo.”

Hurdy handed the letter to Zapdos, who quickly read it. “Mewtwo and Mew, I am sending this message since over the past few months I have seen several things that are concerning me. The plan is not going as it should, and the recent practice of humans capturing pokemon is evidence of this. Something is leading the humans in a different direction than mine, and I was hoping you might have some information on this. Sincerely, Forde.”

Zapdos thought for a bit, but then continued speaking. “The letter seems to fit right in with my second request, since it is exactly the type of information Forde will be seeking. In fact, I think I’ll write him a letter of my own, so you three wait here, unless you want to incur my wrath.”

Zapdos flew off for a few minutes, but soon returned with his letter for Forde. “Here is my letter. You can read it if you want.”

Hurdy read the letter aloud. “Dear Forde, I found a group of humans without any memories, and so I decided to protect them and observe them. The device you gave me proved most helpful in this. None of them seemed to know anything, except an old man, who only remembered a short phrase. I think it the first two lines of a poem. Anyway, here it is:

Lightning brings the cactus pain
Now it all begins again

Perhaps these lines hold some meaning to the mystery that has come up. Sincerely, The God of Thunder, Zapdos.”

“Luckily, I have followers who can write well,” Zapdos explained. “If I tried to write it myself it would look like chicken-scratch. If you are wondering, I do take good care of my followers, but for a price. They bring me food, and in exchange, I direct them. Both they and I don’t have any clue to where they came from or what happened to them. By becoming their guidance and protection, I’ve taken on the role of a God to them. Just don’t tell Arceus, if you happen to meet him. He probably already knows, but just in case he doesn’t, don’t tell him.”

“When you’re working with Forde, it’s hard to tell where you will end up. He is more than a normal human.”

“Has Forde met with every legendary pokemon? You all seem to know him,” Hurdy continued.

“I would bet he has, but I’ve never asked him. Now, it is getting rather late, so if you continue down the path, there should be a cave after 5 or so switchbacks. You can stay there for the night.”

The three went down the trail, weary from their long day. They arrived at the cave, which had some soft pillows that Zapdos must have got from the humans. With something as soft as pillows to sleep on, the three quickly were asleep, dreaming deeply.

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Okay, there is the chapter of the week. I don't know when I'll post the next one, but I'm trying to spread them out a bit more. These early chapters are all pretty short.

Prince Leon had adjusted to the rough sea after a few hours, and was now watching over Elomir. Elomir did not seem to be taking the rocking of the boat well, and he looked a bit greener than usual. Wingull seemed to notice the droop in both Elomir’s wings and his demeanor, because he flew up, being his usual peppy self.

“I see the churning waves have you feeling down,” Wingull chirped.

Elomir let off a moan. “I don’t think I can take this much longer. How does everyone else get used to it?”

“Some of us are just born to be of the sea, while others are not.”

At that moment, the captain whistled and Wingull flew back to him. The captain relayed a few short orders to Wingull, who then returned to Elomir’s side.

“The Captain says we are almost to the port, and I am to take a message to secure us a dock ahead of time. If you want, you could come along.”

Unfortunately, Wingull was a little to late to make Elomir feel better, and Elomir threw up bits of the raw fish he had been given for breakfast into the sea. Leon gave a look that asked if Elomir needed help. Elomir made a few motions until he conveyed that he was going to shore, and Leon nodded in agreement.

Once in the sky, Elomir was feeling much better, and Wingull lazily glided ahead. Ahead, like clouds in the sky, billowed the many sails of the other boats that were docked at Rockport. Just beyond were marketplaces full of people, as well as several taverns. It seemed to be a beautiful city, until Elomir got a bit closer. The large bustling marketplaces had their fair share of shady characters and thieves, and Elomir could only guess what the taverns would be like. The air itself was dry and a bit dusty, and further from the coastline, past the other side of the city, a large desert spread to the horizon.

Wingull flew down to the harbormaster, presenting the captain’s message to him. The harbormaster, who was the bureaucratic type, sent the orders for the reservations, and was relieved that the message had been sent in advance. He immediately got back to supervising the Machoke that were unloading a recent arrival.

“Now that that’s done, I think it’s time to get back to the ship,” Wingull announced. Wingull rose into the sky a short ways, but looked back at Elomir, who remained on the ground.

Wingull flew back down and perched next to Elomir. “I’m guessing that you don’t want to go back to the boat.”

“I can see that this town isn’t perfect, but I think it is better than any boat. I’ve never been so glad to be on solid land.”

“I think you just didn’t have enough time to get used to the beauty of the sea. I always want to return to the open ocean after a few days at even the best of ports.”

“That’s why you’re a water type, and I’m ground. Almost complete opposites.”

“I can see you’re much better, now that you’re on land. At least not as snappy anymore.”

“The ocean was making me a bit nervous, so don’t take my past actions too seriously. Anyway, the boat is almost in, so why don’t we just wait?”

“Okay, the view from the lighthouse should be great.”

Elomir and Wingull both landed on the large stone lighthouse, and watched the ship slowly make its way into port. Elomir seemed to be empowered by the hot, sandy winds from the desert.

Back on the ship, Prince Leon was packing. As he finished, he brought his bags up on deck, and went to thank Mellano, the owner of the ship. Mellano was in his quarters, planning what to trade in port. His Jigglypuff seemed to chasing after a ball that rolled around the room with the rocking of the boat.

Mellano looked up from his work. “It was a pleasure to have you on board. If you see us again, you’re welcome on board for free, if you promise to defend us like you did.“

“That is most gracious of you Mellano, and if our paths cross again, I just might take up that offer. Hopefully I’ll find what I’m looking for in Rockport.”

“If you don’t find what you need in Rockport, I have some advice for you that I’ve heard from fellow travelers and merchants. If you are heading West from Rockport, then the only route is through the desert. The desert is harsh and caravans must go from oasis to oasis, and bandits are plentiful. Try to make sure you find a good caravan if you are going that route.”

Just as Leon was about to say a final farewell, the captain strode through the door. “Mellano, we’re almost in port and will be docked shortly.” Captain Tark noticed that Leon was ready to leave, and so he shook Leon’s hand vigorously. “You’re a good lad, and you and your Flygon were amazing. Glad to have ya on board.”

Leon gathered his things as the boat finished docking. “It was a comfortable voyage, thanks to your smooth sailing. I’m not sure Elomir would have the same opinion, though.”

The three of them laughed, and Leon headed down into the town of Rockport. Elomir soon landed beside him, looking refreshed. Leon patted Elomir’s side and they set off to explore Rockport. The first place they went to was the central square. A bulletin board with various announcements was placed there, but nothing was there about Forde. They were about to move on, when a man in a ragged brown cloak approached. His clothes looked dirty, and it looked as if he hadn’t shaved in a few days.

“If it’s information you want, then I’m your man, but it will cost you.”

Leon sized up this dubious character, and turned to Elomir. After a brief moment, he decided that it would be the quickest way to find Forde.

“Okay, I’m looking for someone. His name is Forde, and he would have arrived on a boat not too long ago. Will this be enough?”

Leon handed several gold coins over to the man, and after seeing a greedy gleam in his eye, realized that he had probably paid too much.

“Yes, it will certainly be enough. For this amount, I’ll try to get it in two hours, so meet me back here by then.”

The man scurried off into a nearby alley, and Leon hoped that he hadn’t been scammed.

“Elomir, try to keep a lookout from the skies to make sure he does his job. I’m going to go see what the marketplace has to offer. Meet me back here ten minutes before we are supposed to meet the man again.”

Elomir took to the skies and rooftops, and quickly found the man. He visited the taverns, the barracks for the town guard, and the city hall. Along the way, Elomir noticed a few cutpurses, thieves, and other characters in the allies as well, but decided it was best to leave them alone. Soon, it was time to meet again, and the man started heading back to the town square, but Elomir had already gone ahead to meet Leon.

Meanwhile, Leon looked around the marketplace to see what they had to offer. The normal trinkets and jewelry were there, and many a merchant begged him to see there wares. As he was passing through the food market, Leon noticed a man selling some spicy treats, so he bought one for himself and for Elomir. The spices here were much stronger than anything he had back home, and so he also had to stop for some water to soothe his burning tongue.

At the bulletin board, Elomir was waiting and seemed to be a bit relieved after seeing that Leon was back.

Leon handed Elomir the spicy food. “Here try this! I know that you like spicy food, so I got an extra one.”

Elomir munched it down quickly, but the flame of it lingered long after in his mouth. He sniffed around to see if Leon had more, but did not sense anymore of it. A few minutes later, the scruffy man was back.

“I’ve got your information. The man named Forde passed through here about 10 days ago. He went on through the desert, but the guards said that he went without any caravan, which either means he is crazy or very confident in his power. The desert is a dangerous place, even in a group. That’s all I have, and I thank you for your business, my wealthy friend.”

The man quickly disappeared, and it was getting late in the afternoon. The hot wind from the desert blew over the city. Since they would be going through the desert, Leon bought the necessary supplies and checked on the caravan schedule. No caravans would be leaving this late in the afternoon, so Leon found a place for them to stay in a small, but well kept, inn.

After a cheap but hearty meal, both Elomir and Leon went to sleep early to try and catch one of the early caravans. Meanwhile, the man from earlier had been watching them from the shadows. He knew that this young man had to have a good amount of money with him to be so free with it, so he gathered his friends and made a plan for that night.

In the middle of the night, the faint creak of the door opening awakened Elomir. Several men came through in the shadows, and Elomir sprung at them. A Seviper lunged at him, but he dodged the attack, and slammed it into the wall with his dragon claw attack. He turned to see if Leon was awake. Leon had gotten up from his bed to face the men, but his bow was stored safely with his travel supplies. Elomir moved to defend him, but both were hit by a sleep powder from a Breloom.

The man in the tattered brown cloak had little time to act after the commotion. “All this noise will have the guards here before too long. Quick, take the Flygon outside, and we’ll take this boy and his belonging out to the desert to see what valuables he has.”

A few hours later, near dawn, Elomir awoke in the street outside the inn with a guard prodding at him.

“The nerve of some people!” the guard muttered. “Leaving their pokemon sleeping in the middle of the street! Wake up, and get back to your owner.”

Elomir rose to his feet, but was still groggy. An instant later, he remembered the night’s events. Looking around, he realized that he had just been dragged out the back door, and so he peered through the window. Nothing was in there, driving Elomir into panic. He launched into the sky, crying out for Leon, but heard and saw nothing. Leon and the men that had broken in were nowhere to be found. After a few hours of circling above the city, Elomir heard the faint sound of the whistle that Leon carried with him in case of trouble. Elomir listened for it again, but it seemed to be coming from far out in the desert. Elomir beat his wings ferociously, and the sound slowly grew louder as he flew over the first few miles of desert. Suddenly, the whistle grew silent, but Elomir had come close to its source, and continued onward as fast as his wings could carry him.

Here's some info:
Title: Darkness and Light: Between Two Worlds
Synopsis: A story that continues a year after the PMD world was saved from destruction. It is the tale of the travels of Ben, Draconis, and the other companions they meet as they try to save the world from a new threat. The ancient past and the connections between the long separated worlds of humans and pokemon must be understood if this evil taking over the minds of pokemon is to be stopped.

Reading this story is not required to understand anything in this story, but it does provide a little more background. I just thought I'd provide this information for any interested.

Also, this story was my first fanfic and first attempt at more serious writing, so don't expect the quality to be as good as my story here.

Posting here at Serebii is beginning to sound a little like talking to myself, so I would enjoy a shout out from any readers.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Desperate Times

After several more miles, Elomir was burning from flying at a frantic pace. Adrenaline and desperation drove him beyond his usual limits. The desert landscape seemed a blur, but Elomir began to slow down. Something on the horizon looked out of place, and it seemed like a group was gathered. Panting in exhaustion, Elomir pushed himself for this final stretch.

The group seemed to be several green figures. They had to be pokemon. What they were gathered around Elomir still couldn’t see. As he prepared to land, Elomir noticed, with some relief, that the figures were other Flygon. The closest one turned to face him.

“What has you in such a huff? It can’t be this human’s whistle, can it?” The Flygon asked. After a brief moment, Elomir could tell that this was a female Flygon, by both her scent and appearance. She and two out of the other four Flygon were larger than Elomir.

“I’m looking for someone,” Elomir stated as he was catching his breath. “Could you kindly let me see who it is your group is surrounding.”

“I might, but it would be rude if you didn’t introduce yourself, especially since I‘ve never seen you before.”

Allia moved aside, and in the center of the circle the Flygon had made was Leon! Leon had been sitting on the ground with a surprised look on his face, but as he saw Elomir, he jumped up and hugged Elomir.

“Elomir! I knew you would come, but I didn’t expect any other Flygon like this! Maybe they could give you directions or advice.”

The other Flygon were all staring at Elomir now.

Allia gave a strange look to Elomir. “Are you sure you should let it touch you like that? We don’t really like humans that much around here.”

“This human is my lifelong friend, Leon. We’ve been friends for almost all of our lives. Now…”

“I don’t remember where I am from exactly, since I think I was somehow separated from my parents. When I was a young Trapinch, I wandered around searching for someplace to call home, when Leon found me. After that I stayed in the Kingdom of Alagarde for 11 years, until Leon was exiled and I went with him.”

“That’s better! Although I already told you my name, I am Allia, the leader of the desert Flygon.”

“She appointed herself to that position,” grumbled one of the other Flygon.

“I’ve never met another Flygon before now, so it is a pleasure to meet you all,” Elomir greeted.

“Yeah, a pleasure, but I’m off,” Yarlo said.

As Yarlo took off, Allia yelled after him. “Hey! I didn’t say you could go! Come back here!”

Yarlo didn’t even turn his head back as he replied. “You may think you are the leader, but I don’t think so. I’m going back to my lair.”

Allia yelled a bit more, but stopped as her efforts failed. As she had been focusing on Yarlo, both Palak and Malak had slipped away quickly.

Urro gave a chuckle. “It seems as if the fun here is just about over. I think I’ll be off too, so long as the human doesn’t blow that annoying noisemaker again.”

“I’ll take care of it, Urro, but you had better warn those three that they are going to get it the next time I see them,” Allia stated.

Urro took off in a different direction than the others had gone, leaving only Elomir and Allia to talk, while Leon just sat next to Elomir, watching the whole situation.

Allia let out a sigh. “They are all gone now, so now it is only you and me.”

Allia seemed to take time to size up Elomir a bit more than before. “You look a bit younger than me, but you look like you can hold your own in battle. I also like your scales. They are much more smooth and shiny than anyone around here.”

Elomir was confused for a second because of the shift in Allia’s attitude. “Uh, thank you. Leon takes good care of me. I used to train every day before this journey.”

Allia started pacing slowly around Elomir, drawing a bit closer with each step. “Without those others, I can relax a bit more. Unlike them, you won’t try encroaching on my hunting territory if I don’t show a strong face, will you?”

A new scent seemed to be in the air, making Elomir seem both a slight amount more excited and happy than he just was. “Um, no, but Allia, do you know a place where my human can get some water? Perhaps you could help us find the caravan route.”

“I’ll do whatever I can to help a Flygon like you, but first we’ll need to go back to my lair. We can drop the human off at an oasis that is a short distance away from my home.”

“It seems that you have found at least one friend,” Leon stated as they flew to the oasis. “Too bad we have to keep going if we are going to find answers. The journey is going to be pretty tough from now on. Those thieves took all my money, and then dumped me out here. They left me a warning that if they see me again in Rockport, they will kill me. I guess they don’t want to be reported. Fortunately, the money was enough for them, so I still have supplies and my bow. I guess we’ll just have to earn some money once we get to the next city.”

Elomir listened and was relieved that Leon still wasn’t too bad off after the incident. After all, they could survive without money. Pokemon never needed it. Elomir and Allia landed, and Leon dismounted, and they all drank some of the cool water.

“I wouldn’t want a human in my lair, so try to tell your friend that we’ll be leaving for a while, and that he should stay here,” Allia suggested.

Leon got the meaning of it quickly, as Elomir tried to communicate with him. As Elomir turned to go, Leon studied Allia intently. It had taken him a bit longer than Elomir, but Leon had finally realized that Allia was a female Flygon. Leon easily noticed the intense, almost hungry looks Allia was giving to Elomir.

“Elomir, you could just leave that human behind, and start a new life in the desert, living the rest of us Flygon,” Allia suggested.

“If he hadn’t been such a good friend, I might be tempted by that offer, especially by one such as beautiful as you, Allia. Now, let’s go to your lair.”

“Yes, my lair is just up in those cliffs. I’m sure you’ll love it.”

The two Flygon were off, leaving Leon alone. Leon noticed the faint scent of pheromone and musk the two had started giving off once the other Flygon had left. To pass the time, he inventoried his remaining supplies. If they both had to eat the food, they would only last 4 days. If Elomir found his own food, then the supplies might last 8 to 10 days. To keep enough water between the scarce springs and oases, they would travel in the very early morning and evening.

The inventory and planning only took up a short time, so Leon polished his bow, and then began skipping rocks. The shade near the water was nice, and so as after a small lunch, Leon relaxed there, but had soon dozed off.

When the sun was nearing the final stretch of sky before touching the horizon, Leon awoke once again to the sound of Elomir landing. Elomir had a vacant and happy expression, and the smells that Leon had noticed earlier were much stronger on Elomir now.

“I take it that you got plenty of advice and direction from that female Flygon?” Leon inquired. “You seem a bit distracted, though, and we may need our focus out here. You might also want to wash up a bit, since you smell.”

Elomir splashed some water over himself, and after drying a bit, the two were off. They started to follow the caravan path, and after several hours, the temperature was dropping quickly after the sun had set.

“We had better find a good place to rest,” Leon began. “Cacturne and a few other desert pokemon can be quite dangerous if they spot travelers that they think they can get. Let’s try and find somewhere safe, like the top of a rock formation or something.”

Elomir quickly found such a spot, and landed in the middle of a bowl-shaped area at the top of some cliffs. Elomir quickly curled up and was asleep, even before Leon had unpacked the blankets.

“After you went off with that Flygon, you seem a little different, Elomir. Is there anything you need from me?”

Leon’s words went unheard, since Elomir was already asleep. Leon soon joined him.

Over the next few days, the pair made their way along the caravan path. Unfortunately, they did not find any of the caravans, but had made due with their supplies. Food was scarce in the desert, so Elomir could not find anything to hunt or eat, so with only one day left of food if they ate full meals, they prepared for final stretch of desert.

Leon studied the map as the sun began to rise. “There is one more oasis, so water won’t be a problem. We might have to eat less, though. This last part of the desert is supposed to take 4 days, and we only have 1 day of food left without severely rationing it, which we are going to have to do. I guess we will try to move swiftly, but that means it is all up to you.”

Elomir was also worried. The constant flying each day was tiring, and with less food, it would be even worse. It was too late to turn back, so they would have to make it.

The first day, they made steady progress. They ate one-third of their remaining food, which left both of them feeling hungry the next morning. The second day, they ate another third, and arrived at the oasis, and settled there for the night. Their rest was interrupted when a massive sandstorm caught them asleep. The sand pelted Leon, and the wind stopped Elomir from flying. The storm kept up for three days, leaving them with no food. When it finally cleared, they both were starving, and knew it was still at least two days to go.

“Elomir, this looks bad. We still are far from Eltanah, and our food is gone. Will you be able to continue flying on an empty stomach?”

Elomir nodded a yes, and after being stuck in one place from the sandstorm, he was ready to fly again. They made good progress, but fell short of the distance Leon expected. As they went to sleep, Elomir’s wings burned, and he hoped that morning would renew their strength. The next day, Elomir continued flying, but needed breaks with increasing frequency. More and more strength seemed to drain from his wings each time, until he could barely hold up himself and Leon.

After two days of no food, they had also ran out of the water they carried from the oasis.

“Elomir, I know you will keep on trying to fly me until you can no longer lift yourself, but I think we both need to walk now. We should be to Eltanah soon, so even with the slow speed of walking, we can make it.”

Elomir agreed, and the two continued. Without water, moving was even harder, and it was a struggle to move each foot. They stopped to rest during the hottest time of the day, and a short time later, the city of Eltanah was in sight. To the desperate Leon and Elomir, the city was more precious than the gold that had been stolen from them. Water and food were only on the horizon, and so, not thinking clearly, they picked up their pace, despite the hot sun. Soon both were exhausted and light-headed, but the city was only a mile ahead. They pushed themselves to the last bit, but soon Leon had passed out. Elomir placed Leon on his back, and moved forward. At last, they were near the gates, and the last of Elomir’s strength finally gave out. It would be up to the guards of Eltanah to save the two fainted travelers now.

Chapter 8

Hurdy pointed to where they were on the map. “According to this, we should be out of the mountains either today or tomorrow.”

“And when has the mapped helped us as we were lost for two weeks?” Draconis asked as his tail flicked back and forth, as it does when he is perturbed. “And it didn’t point out the territories of wild pokemon that we keep running into and having to fight. I think I still have a bruise from those Geodude we fought two days ago.”

Unlike Draconis, Annox perked up a bit from the news. “Does that mean we are almost to the plains?”

“Yes, the great western plains,” Hurdy answered, folding up the map. “If we just follow this stream downwards, it will eventually lead us to the river, and then to our destination. I’m glad at least you are happy about it, Annox.”

“Whatever, let’s go,” Draconis suggested.

The three followed the clear mountain stream through the narrow canyon. The group ran into some wild pokemon from time to time, but these were just the passive kind, just stopping by the stream for a drink. Near the end of the day, the group finally saw what they were hoping for: Grasslands as far as the eye could see.

“Next time, I’m asking for a better map,” teased Draconis.

“It isn’t that bad, just too general for areas like these mountains,” Hurdy explained.

Annox continued forward at a fast pace, surprising both Draconis and Hurdy. “Come on. We don’t have time for arguments now. We need to get to the grasslands.”

“I haven’t seen you move this fast since I last made you really angry,” Draconis joked. “I guess I shouldn’t have put that sweet honey on your back, but it sure attracted a lot of unusual visitors.”

“There is nothing funny about being chased by every Beedrill and Combee within a few miles! I never even got to get you back for that prank.”

Draconis laughed at the memory. “You never get me back for half the things I’ve pulled on you. Perhaps you should be more alert, and then you wouldn’t be such an easy target for jokes.”

The three now were in a joyful mood from remembering the antics between Draconis and Annox. This helped pass the time as the ground they passed over grew less steep and had less trees. Unfortunately, it also made them a little careless, or they would have spotted the trouble on the plains earlier.

“Do you hear that?” Hurdy asked. “It sounds like a battle. We had better keep low until it ends.”

“But we aren’t on either side, so why would they bother us?” Annox questioned.

“War can do strange things to men and pokemon. Better not to get drawn into it.”

The group moved carefully, staying in the tall grass near the stream, rather than the shorter grass that was covering most the plain. Their attempts to be stealthy were soon destroyed, when Draconis’s tail accidently burned some of the grass they were walking through, leaving a small wisp of smoke.

Immediately, howls could be heard, and two Mightyena, followed by a human in black armor with red markings on it. The two Mightyena paused for a moment, seeing that the three pokemon did not belong to the enemy.

Seeing the hesitancy of the pokemon, the human began to yell orders. “You two, attack them. We are supposed to attack anyone here that is not on our side. Remember the orders. We take no prisoners today.”

The Mightyena ran at Hurdy, Draconis, and Annox, who now readied to defend themselves.

“At least getting lost in the mountains made us stronger,” Hurdy mentioned to Draconis.

“Focus on the battle, Hurdy!” Draconis snapped as he prepared to launch a flamethrower.

The Mightyena were in range now, but managed to dodge the flamethrower, as well as a water gun and razor leaf. Draconis slashed at them when they got close enough, but the one Draconis attacked just pranced backwards as the other moved to get Draconis from behind. Hurdy was not going to let such a thing happen, and so he blasted the second with a water gun. Both Mightyena changed tactics to frontal assault, both of them pouncing at Draconis.

Draconis let one have it with his sharp claws, but the other bit into his arm, and began to shake him viciously. Hurdy and Annox soon freed their friend by attacking the Mightyena, but this turned them into the next targets, since Draconis was less of a threat now. The two enemies circled Hurdy, and attacked simultaneously. Hurdy temporarily blinded one with a mud-shot, but the other bit him on the back leg and flung him up into the sky.

Hurdy landed hard on his head and passed out, which enraged Draconis enough that he tried to battle again, despite his hurt arm. One of the Mightyena tackled him, leaving him sprawled out in the grass, unconscious. Now only Annox was left. He shot a leech seed onto one of the two before withdrawing into his shell. Unfortunately, the shell did not protect him all the way, so the Mightyena nipped the ends of his legs, until he had to try to drive them off. This left him open, and the Mightyena both tackled him.

He skidded a ways, but managed to stay upright. He shot another razor leaf at the Mightyena. The leech seed gave Annox strength enough to defeat the one weakened by its effects with another razor leaf, but the other looked ready to kill as it charged Annox again. This time it caught Annox’s front leg in its sharp teeth, and began slamming the smaller Annox against the ground.

With each blow everything seemed to go out of focus more, until Annox was knocked out. The Mightyena readied to finish off these three opponents for good, but a powerful vine whip knocked it down on its side. Growling, it got up, and saw that a Bayleef and one of the soldiers, in the green and blue armor of the enemy, had come from the main battle.

The Bayleef launched another vine whip, which defeated the Mightyena. The two soldiers battled, and the one in green and blue struck a fatal blow with his spear. At this moment, Draconis had recovered enough to stand. He found both Hurdy and Annox unconscious, but they had no serious wounds. Before he could attend to his friends further, Draconis was interrupted by the Bayleef.

The Bayleef looked like it had trained hard, and had a lean body. The emerald-green leaves around its neck and on top of its head looked razor sharp.

“You don‘t look like you are with the enemy, the Rinn army, so what are you three doing here?” the female Bayleef demanded.

“We were just passing through, and got caught up in this battle,” Draconis explained. “I’m Draconis, and my two friends, Hurdy and Annox, are still unconscious. Do you think you could help us?”

The Bayleef had been scanning the area for more enemies, but had suddenly turned and given full attention near the end of Draconis’s request. “Did I just hear you say Annox?”

“Yeah, he’s a Turtwig I’ve known for a few years.”

The Bayleef seemed to get a wistful smile, and the soldier she came with noticed Draconis, Hurdy, and Annox. Bayleef did a few motions to signal that she wanted the fainted Hurdy and Annox to be taken back to the base. Draconis seemed a bit indignant when the human slung his two friends over his shoulders, but Bayleef blocked him with a vine.

“You’ll be much safer back at our fort,” she explained. “At these borderlands, Rinn sends frequent groups to test our strength. They never remain in Midern for long, though, with our army around. With us you’ll be safe to recover from the battle.”

Draconis followed the Bayleef and the soldier closely. They soon joined up with the rest of the company which consisted of a few other pokemon and soldiers. They all wore the blue and green colors of what Draconis guessed was the colors of the Midern army. All the pokemon looked like they had seen quite a few battles, and had the same leanness about them that Bayleef had. Soon, they were back at the fort, which was just a small fortification made of wood that provided a little bit of shelter and defense to those inside.

At the fort, Bayleef approached a human female in a white uniform. She turned out to be a medic, and, after taking them to the infirmary, applied some medicine to the bites on Draconis, Hurdy, and Annox. She then laid the two fainted pokemon on some soft mats, and then left the room. She returned a moment later with bowls of food for the all the pokemon, and then left them to recover in peace.

Draconis and the Bayleef ate their food, and as soon as they finished, Annox began to awaken. He slowly opened his eyes, but blinked a few times upon seeing Bayleef.

“I don’t believe it!” Annox gasped in surprise. “Peoria!”

Peoria, the Bayleef, responded with a knowing smile. “Yes, but I’ve evolved now, so I’m surprised you recognized me.”

“I can’t believe that I found you! That was one of the reasons I came on this journey.”

Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Wanted

Elomir awakened and opened his eyes. The room was dark, but below him he could feel a soft bed. He listened intently, and could hear the familiar sound of Leon’s breathing. It was calm and stable, and so Elomir knew that he was alright. Elomir felt hungry and thirsty, and yawned quietly as he sniffed around for food.

His yawn brought a small girl into the room, carrying a candle. She looked to be about 10 years old, and had on the outfit of a nurse. She saw that the Flygon was up, and ran to tell her master.

A few more minutes passed, and Elomir decided to remain on the bed, but now his head slumped over the side near the door, watching for the people to return. The girl returned, carrying a bucket of water and some food, while a lady accompanied her, also in medical attire. The woman seemed to be the head nurse of wherever they were, and held a lamp that lit the dark room.

With the light, Elomir could see that he was in a small hospital, lined with several clean white beds. Leon was asleep and recovering in one of them. Elomir was given the food and water, and started to devour it.

“Slow down!” came the sharp command of the woman. “You’ll make yourself sick if you go too fast.”

Elomir obediently slowed down, and the nurse gave him a single pat on the head. “There, that’s better. You’re lucky that you got all the way to Eltanah. Some travelers are not so lucky. You seem to be fine, since you are a Flygon, after all, but your friend might take a day or two to recover. You still should get plenty of rest, so finish up, and we’ll check on you two in the morning.”

Elomir ate and drank all they had brought him, and they left, leaving him to sleep in the darkness. Elomir still could not sleep immediately, like many recent nights. Instead, his thoughts turned to Allia and her offer, several days ago.

* * *

Elomir and Allia had just taken off into the warm desert wind, and reached Allia’s cave. It was a simple lair, with a sandy floor and bits of whatever treasures or items Allia had collected over the years on some shelf-like cavities in the rock.

“Do you like it?” Allia asked.

It wasn’t as nice as the castle, but it had a certain wild elegance to it in Elomir’s eyes. “Yes, it does seem like a perfect home for a Flygon.”

Allia walked by, her tail brushing Elomir‘s as she did. “Actually with only one Flygon, it’s a bit large, and sometimes a bit cold. I‘m looking for someone to share it with.”

“So you are alone then? What about the other Flygon?”

“They all have their families and mates, but I don’t have either.”

“It’s a shame a Flygon like you should be so lonely.”

Allia had drawn close to Elomir, and was tickling him gently with her tail. “Elomir, you don’t have to go. Stay here with me and forget the silly humans. I need you more than they do.”

Elomir felt like his mind was a bit fuzzy. He couldn’t think straight, and tried to stammer out a reply. “I w-would love to, b-but…”

Maybe it was her scent or her offer, but Elomir was feeling like he had the brain of a Magikarp at the moment. It was all so sudden, and Elomir felt faint-hearted. He needed time to think, and so he left the cave without even a goodbye.

“No, don’t go!” Allia cried after him.

Elomir flew higher and higher as he tried to calm down. At first he was trembling and his heart was racing, but it slowly returned to normal. He also decided firmly against staying here as long as Leon needed him, but he also didn’t want to leave Allia hurt and bitter. By the time he had thought it all through, he was up in the clouds, but dived back down to the cave.

“I may come back someday, but for now I have to stick with my friend. Leaving him would be leaving most of my heart. You may accompany me as I leave, if you wish, and I shall look for any way to return again someday.”

Allia seemed a bit crestfallen, but didn’t press the matter anymore. “Farewell, then. You’d better be quick about returning, if you want the spot to still be open. I‘ll be waiting here until then.”

“I understand, and am sorry that I can’t stay.”

Allia remained in her cave as Elomir went to rejoin Leon.

* * *

Elomir had been replaying the scene in his head many times since it had happened. Elomir now had a growing desire to return to Allia, which was deflating his resolve to be on this journey with Leon. He struggled with these thoughts a bit more, but soon it all faded into his dreams.

Leon woke up early the next morning, and found the food that had been laid out for him. He ate slowly and sipped at the water, and when he was done with the meal, he felt like himself again. Elomir was still asleep, and looked like he was having a pleasant dream.

Not wanting to wake his friend quite yet, Leon got up slowly from the bed and stretched. He refilled his water from a bucket, but a middle-aged lady entered the room.

“Did I make it to Eltanah?” Leon asked in a whisper. “Who are you and where am I?”

“You are in the small hospital in Eltanah where we take care of travelers. The desert takes a lot out of them, and many end up like you or worse when they aren’t prepared.”

“Thank you for taking care of me and my Flygon. Has he woken up yet?”

“Yeah, he woke up last night, and we gave him some food and water.”

“I’d better wake him up and then we’ll be off.”

“That’s fine, but I would advise against heavy traveling until you’ve both rested another day. You should stay and see Eltanah.”

“I think I’ll do that. The person I’m looking for might be around here anyway.”

Leon prodded Elomir, who stirred, and upon seeing Leon awake, gave him a lick on the hand. Elomir then ate his food as quickly as the nurse would allow, and then the two set off after thanking their caretakers.

Stepping outside, Elomir and Leon were astonished. The city of Eltanah, far larger than any town they had been in, surrounded them. Many people walked down the streets. The guards and their pokemon looked like they would be a match for most the soldiers back at Alagarde. The soldiers all wore the orange and yellow colors of the Eltanah empire.

“I wonder how they get enough water for all these people,” Leon stated to Elomir.

They walked down to the market district, but as soon as they got there, Leon remembered that all his money had been stolen.

Leon shared his trouble with Elomir. “It looks like we’ll have to get a job or run errands or something, because we have no money. We really need more food and supplies.”

They both headed to the message board, where they might find a job that someone had posted there. Before they could even look, the large and recent wanted poster in the center of the board stole all their attention.

On the wanted poster was the sketch of a man with brown hair and a green cloak. To the side were pictures of an Espeon and Pachirisu that had been seen with him. On the bottom it read: “Wanted: Forde. Reward: 50,000” There was also a brief description of the man, and his crimes. The crime he was wanted for was treason.

Leon took a minute to take this in. “Elomir, how are we going to find Forde if he’s a criminal?”

A man who had been leaning on a wall nearby took interest in Leon. He had a black, wide-brimmed hat on over his medium-length black hair. His clothes were either black or dark blue. Sitting on the wall above him was a Lucario. The blue, black, and white fox-like pokemon hopped to the ground and landed on his two feet and stayed by the man’s side.

The man spoke in a smooth voice that immediately got Leon’s attention. “It’s dangerous to mention the name of Forde here, especially around the guards. Why are you looking for him?”

“I need his help.”

“Help with what?”

“It’s a complicated matter, but it has to do with my father.”

“And who is your father?”

Leon now whispered to Elomir. “Do you think we should trust him? Last time we talked with a shady man near the message board we got robbed. Why not ask his pokemon about him?”

Elomir turned to the Lucario. “Hello, might I ask if your friend here is a good man?”

Lucario turned his nose up at such a question. “Of course he’s a good man. A Lucario will never work with anyone who is unjust.”

Elomir gave Leon a nod to signal that he should trust this man, and so Leon revealed his secret. “My father is King Desmond of Alagarde. Unfortunately, I was banished from the kingdom and then robbed in the desert, so I need to get some money before I search for Forde again.”

“Money and supplies, we can get you. If you want to find Forde, come with me.”

“But who are you?”

“I’ll tell you once we get to the hideout. Just follow along.”

Leon and Elomir followed the man and the Lucario down the street packed with small houses. Soon, they were back near the city center, where stone buildings took the place of smaller, wooden ones. It was here that Leon finally got to see where the town got its water. Around the plaza were several springs, and all the water flowed West, away from the desert. Some of the springs had hot steam billowing from them, while others looked cool and clear.

The man led them into a dead end where a boiling spring was contained by three stone walls. The man glanced behind them, making sure no one was watching closely, and started to shuffle carefully across a narrow ledge that went over the boiling water. The man pressed something on the side of the wall, and a small opening appeared that he stepped into.

“Quickly, in here,” the man commanded.

The Lucario went next, showing off a bit as he calmly walked along the six-inch wide ledge, as if it were a sidewalk. Elomir flew through the steam, but yelped in pain as the tip of his foot dipped briefly into the water. He squeezed quickly through the opening. Leon was the last, and he edged his way to the others. From the heat the water was giving off, Leon could tell it was burning hot, and felt sorry for Elomir, and made his way across safely.

The man closed the opening, but the lit torches revealed a hallway that led downwards. Elomir was sucking on his burned foot, and the Lucario seemed to be chuckling at the Flygon’s misfortune.

The man extended his hand, and Leon shook it. “Sorry about your Flygon, but he’ll be all right. I’m Corvon.”

“Why did we have to come to such a secret place?”

“You wanted to meet Forde, right? Then you’ll see why I brought you here as soon as we get to the end of this hallway.”

They walked down the dim stone hallway, but for Elomir it was more of a limp to avoid using the burnt part of his foot. At the end of the hallway was a brightly lit room, despite there being no windows. Glowing glass orbs lit the room, powered by some unseen source.

Leon was amazed. “Is this electricity? My father used to talk about it, but I didn’t pay much attention.”

A new voice answered. “It seems that Corvon has brought me an observant young man. I got word that someone was following me from my informants, and so I wanted to meet him. Now, will you tell me your story?”

Leon turned to the speaker, and couldn’t believe what he saw. The same man from the wanted poster, the one he had been looking for, was sitting in a chair at the end of the table. A Pachirisu sat on his shoulder, and an Espeon was laying on the table next to the man in the green cloak, confirming the man’s identity.

No need to call me by my full name. Focus will do just fine. Or you can call me FPE. You can save a second of writing that way! (and save me a second of reading *grins maniacally* Step 1 in world domination complete! Ah-Uh... I mean... um... well you see... grr... foiled again!)

Hey! I remember reading that chapter! It really got me excited when Leon finally met up with Forde. And I really appreciated the Sir Aaron cameo you had too.

I'm looking forward to when you finally catch up and start posting new chapters.

Yeah, it is fairly obvious that Corvon is based on Sir Aaron. And you are right that Leon meeting Forde is quite a significant event.

Perhaps you could be a beta reader for my latest chapters? It might be nice to have a person that reads and gives me their thoughts on the future chapters, even if they won't be posted here for some time. I'll PM you to see if you are interested.

Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Annox’s Decision

Draconis thought for a moment about where to begin the story. “Well, Peoria, the three of us are on a journey for a man named Forde. Forde isn’t like most humans. He understands pokemon and can talk to us.”

“Wait, I’ll tell the story,” Annox interrupted.

Draconis thought this seemed more assertive than Annox normally was, but let him have his way, since he seemed to know Peoria.

Annox continued the tale. “The three of us were living at the Ruins Academy, and Forde would visit from time to time. This last time, he said that the humans had begun to capture pokemon for their battles, and that he needed a message delivered to Mewtwo and Mew.”

“I heard rumors about people in the Eastern kingdoms using such methods, but the armies here all use the old way of befriending pokemon,” Peoria added. “Still, battles are frequent, and the kingdom of Rinn to the Northeast has been sending more forces here than usual. Anyways, get back to the story.”

“Okay. After the three of us accepted this mission, we set off using a map that Forde gave us. We traveled North between two of the human kingdoms, but ran into a trap. Some humans, known as the Crows, tried to capture us, but a prince and his Flygon came to rescue us.”

“Do you know which kingdom the prince was from?” Peoria asked.

“I don’t remember.”

“His name was Leon, and I think he was from Alagarde,” Hurdy stated as he opened his eyes. From his answer, it was apparent that he had been awake at least a little while.

“Alagarde? That’s one of the small Eastern kingdoms. By the way, I’m Peoria.”

Hurdy noticed the food and began to eat, which made Annox realize that he hadn’t eaten yet.

“Draconis, you can tell the rest,” Annox stated as he examined his bowl of food.

Draconis scratched his neck before beginning. “Our journey got even more exciting after that. The next thing that happened was that we found ourselves surrounded by electric pokemon, and then were taken to see Zapdos! Zapdos was massive and powerful, but proved to be kind. He also gave us a message to deliver to Forde. After that, we were lost in the mountains for a while, but then managed to find our way here.”

“It sounds like you all have had an exciting adventure,” Peoria said.

Annox paused from eating the food. “Why don’t you join us?”

“Come now, Annox, you know why I didn’t go along to Relic Academy with your family.”

“Yes. You wanted to become a warrior. Back then it seemed silly for such a cute Chikorita, but now that you are a Bayleef, you look the part. But it seems to me like you’ve already accomplished that goal, so why not come?”

“I’ve become a powerful warrior, but along the way, I’ve learned things that keep me fighting for the Kingdom of Midern. Loyalty, honor, and the friendships I have with the people and pokemon here is what I fight for now, and what makes me gain more strength than I would have otherwise. I’m not leaving here, but you three can stay as long as you like.”

“How long have you two known each other?” Hurdy inquired.

“Me and Annox go back quite a ways,” Peoria replied. “In some forests to the north of here are some woods where many grass pokemon live. Mine and Annox’s families lived there, and that was where we were born. I’m a year older than Annox, but the two of us spent five years together, playing among the streams of the forest. Unfortunately, more humans started coming to the area, so some of the pokemon wanted to leave. Annox’s family was some of those that left to Relic Academy, but I decided to stay in the area and follow my own goal. In curiosity, I watched the humans and one day I saw them training with pokemon. The pokemon all looked fit and powerful, so I decided to join.”

Draconis yawned and stretched. “Well, I’ve had enough stories for now. Is there anything to do around here?”

“We train hard, but also have fun when there is time for that,” Peoria explained. “Right now most the people will be resting from the battle, and I think you three should take some time to recover.”

“I’m feeling fine,” Draconis stated. “I want to see what it’s like around here.”

“Fine, I’ll show you around.”

Peoria led them out of the infirmary, which was built against the side of the fort, like all the other buildings. Above them some guards watched for enemies from the top of the walls. In the center of the fort was an area of dusty ground for drills, and to the side was some targets and equipment for training. The other buildings of the fort consisted of several barracks, two buildings where the pokemon were kept, and the mess hall. The barracks had basic cots for the soldiers, but few soldiers were resting on these at the moment. The pokemon stables had soft piles of grass for sleeping on, but not much else.

The mess hall was the center of fort life, and was packed with both people and pokemon at the moment. It had wooden tables, and a large kitchen in the back. At the moment, stew was being given out for dinner to the humans, and a pile of meat, fruit, and grain was laid out for the pokemon. At the tables the humans were laughing, and a few were playing cards. After the victory, everyone seemed in high spirits.

Peoria walked over to where the pokemon were gathered around the bowls of food on the floor. She grabbed some fruit, and beckoned Annox, Hurdy, and Draconis over. The three glanced around awkwardly for a second, since the other pokemon were watching them curiously. They each took some food and sat down next to Peoria.

“Who have you brought along with you Peoria?” a female Leafeon asked.

“Hello, Petal. The Turtwig is an old friend of mine, and the other two are his companions. They’ve traveled all the way from Relic Academy.”

Peoria introduced them to the other pokemon. The army pokemon were all friendly with one another, but Petal the Leafeon was the one that Peoria knew the best.

“They seem injured, and don’t look too tough,” A Gabite stated.

Draconis’s tail flared at this comment, but an ice cold stare from Hurdy kept him from saying anything rash.

“They got caught up in the battle,” explained Peoria. “Some Mightyena from Rinn tore them up a little bit.”

“Mightyena can bite pretty hard, so it’s best to take them out from a distance,” a Raichu stated.

“If they want to become stronger, they could always join us,” Gabite suggested.

“I think that their mission is more important, so don’t try to push them into staying,” Peoria firmly told off the Gabite.

The rest of the evening passed with small talk with Peoria and the other pokemon. Several of them asked about Relic Academy, since they had friends or families that had set off to live there. Soon, it was late, and the mess hall emptied slowly.

The next day, the three decided to stay at the fort another day. Draconis and Hurdy went to go see how the pokemon and humans trained together, and Annox wanted to talk with Peoria alone, so the two headed up to the top of the walls.

Peoria looked out over the grassland, a flat expanse of green to the horizon. “I always enjoy the view up here. Now what did you want to talk about?”

Annox seemed a bit reluctant. “I never really had as solid a reason as Draconis or Hurdy for going on this trip. They both are the sons of the village’s leaders and are the scions of the legendary heroes. They are expected to be great, and so it comes natural to them to want an adventure like this. For me, I’m just a Turtwig. The travels have been hard at times, and one of my hopes was to meet you again. Now that I have, I’m not sure I want to continue with them. I want to stay here with you.”

“That means a lot that you want to stay here with me, but you seem close to your other friends. Have you told them about this decision yet?”

“No, I wanted to talk to you first.”

“Staying here won’t be easy. You’ll have to train hard, and battle even harder. I’ll be here to help, but you need a better attitude. You say you’re just a Turtwig, but with an attitude like that, you won’t get anywhere! You need to see what you can be, and push yourself! That’s how I became this powerful, and if you decide to stay, I’ll push you to be your best. Now, why don’t we go tell your friends this?”

Down in the center of the fort, Draconis and Hurdy were taking part in some training battles. The pokemon didn’t use their full strength, and the first to knock the other down or hit the other five times was declared the winner.

Hurdy went first, squaring off against the Raichu. Hurdy led off with a mud slap, which hit the Raichu. The Raichu used double team and agility, making it seem to be everywhere at once. Raichu flashed in front of Hurdy, who jumped backwards and unleashed a water gun. The Raichu vanished as the water gun got near, and suddenly was behind Hurdy. As Hurdy turned, the Raichu hit with an iron tail attack, which knocked Hurdy down. Hurdy landed on his side, and Raichu was declared the winner.

“Well, that was a good fight, Mudkip,” the Raichu complimented. “Your basics are good, and with some training, you could be powerful.”

The two headed off to get some water, and Draconis was up next, facing Gabite. Draconis remembered the comment Gabite had said last night, and his tail flame flared in anger.

“Now I’ll get to see how weak you really are,” the Gabite taunted.

“Just shut up and face me,” Draconis answered coldly.

Gabite rushed in, unleashing his slash attack. Draconis also used his, and the two attacks cancelled each other out. Draconis then unleashed a flamethrower, but Gabite shook the flames off and used dragon rage. The attack hit Draconis, but didn’t knock him down, so he attacked with metal claw. The attack hit Gabite, who countered with a take down. Gabite slammed headfirst in Draconis, who rolled until he was face down on the ground.

“Looks like I win,” Gabite gloated. “You weren’t as weak as I thought, but you still are weak.”

Draconis got up and dusted himself off. “It was a good match,” he said half-heartedly.

Draconis joined Hurdy at the trough of water, and that was where Peoria and Annox found them.

Annox stood in silence, staring uneasily at the ground. Peoria took the initiative to get this difficult topic started. “Annox has something to tell you two.”

This time Annox said it firmly and loudly. “I’m staying here with Peoria.”

“What?” Draconis said in surprise.

Hurdy was more understanding. “If that is your choice, I’m fine with it. At times on our trip, you have seemed a bit depressed, so if staying here will make you happy, then do it.”

“Although it will be hard without you, I also respect your decision,” Draconis stated. “We’ll miss you, and will come see you on the way back. But without you, who will I play my jokes on?”

Annox grinned. “Now that’s one thing I won’t miss.”

The coming farewell cast a bit of a shadow over the rest of the day, but everyone still enjoyed themselves. Soon it was the next morning, and Hurdy and Draconis were ready to set off.

“You’ve been one of my best friends, Annox,” Hurdy began. “I’ll miss you and maybe in a week or two, when we’ll be coming back along the same route, we’ll get to see you again.”

“Well, see you later!” Draconis stated. “I’ve never been one for long or thoughtful goodbyes, so take care.”

“I’ll miss you two as well, remember to tell my family back home where I am when you go back there.”

Draconis and Hurdy began to walk off into the grass of the plains, but Peoria yelled some advice after them. “If you head West, then the capital, Midern, shouldn’t be too many days away. It is near where Pokemon Square once was!”

“Thanks, we’ll keep that in mind!” Draconis shouted back. “Oh, one more thing! Show up that Gabite for me!”

Annox and Peoria watched the two go off until they were small figures in the distance.

Chapter 11

Chapter 11: It’s a Deal

“It seems that your exile hasn’t been easy,” Forde said, after hearing Leon’s tale. “But hardships can help each of us grow. King Willis of Farna is still on our side, unlike the Queen Iridia of Eltanah or your father. Unfortunately, our side seems to be under the attack of whatever the other side is.”

“Wait, what exactly is our side?” Leon asked.

“It isn’t really an organized group. It includes any who want to work towards the same goals as I do. Peace, prosperity, and technology are what I seek for the world, and until recently, all the leaders of this world were following my advice. So far it seems that only Farna and Midern are still trying to follow my plan. If everyone does not follow it, then my plan begins to go astray. Technology needs stability to develop, and war slows its advance.”

“Do you know why these leaders suddenly turned against the plan? My father seemed to have lost part of himself before he prepared planning for war on Farna.”

“Unfortunately, I do not know the exact cause for this. It seems that only those of the older generation are affected, while younger people, such as yourself or King Willis, remain immune to whatever is causing this. I know you want your father back, and I do, too. Why not help me, so that we can find whatever is causing this?”

“It doesn’t look like I have that many other options. With my money and supplies gone, I need work, and working for you helps me get my father back. I accept your offer.”

“Good. With that settled, Corvon will take you to get some supplies, as well as teach you the basics of my group.”

Lucario got up and went through a door that led into another narrow hallway. Corvon beckoned to Leon. “This way.”

Both Leon and Elomir got up to follow, but paused as Forde began to speak once again. “You can leave your Flygon here. I’ll get him some food while you go with Corvon.”

Elomir returned to the table, while Leon and Corvon followed Lucario into the hallway. Forde got a large bowl with a mix of fruits and meat, and Elomir began to eat with vigor.

As Elomir ate, the Espeon and Pachirisu approached him. First the small squirrel spoke. “Hi, I’m Chiro. A pleasure to meet you!”

“I’m Kita,” the Espeon added, as she seemed to have a new focus in her eyes.

“It’s a good day, isn’t it?” Chiro began speaking at a rapid pace. “Now that your friend joined us, you’ll be working with us as well! I always love to meet new pokemon. How do you feel about all this?”

Elomir swallowed a mouthful of food. “It’s good that we found you, else I’d probably have to deliver messages or some meaningless work until we got enough money to move on. I support Leon in all his decisions, although that means some sacrifices on my part.”

Chiro continued with some small talk. “The weather is nice today, but that sandstorm a few days ago was rough. It must have been bad for you in the desert. You know, I don’t really like the desert much, I prefer the forests near Mt. Thunder…”

Elomir paid little attention to Chiro’s chattering as he finished his food. Kita and Forde were conversing quietly, while Forde searched through his pack for something. Soon, Forde pulled out a Lum Berry, and walked over to Elomir.

“Here, eat this. It will help the burn”

Elomir chewed on the berry slowly, enjoying its flavor and allowing it to heal the burn on his foot. Forde continued speaking to Elomir once the berry was finished.

“As a pokemon, this may seem strange, but I’m going to speak with you. It seems you trust Leon, and are willing to fight for him, but Kita also sensed that there is something you’ve been hiding from him.”

“I do apologize for having Kita look into your thoughts, but I find it necessary to know if all the humans and pokemon I work with are really committed to what they say they are,” Forde added. “It is clear that you trust and love Leon, but from what Kita saw, a new passion is eating away at this old friendship. You can tell me anything, and I’ll not reveal it to Leon unless you want me to.”

“Well, it’s amazing that you understand me at all.”

“I have ways to translate what pokemon say. There are devices that do this, left over from the old world, and if you tell me the truth, I’ll let you and Leon borrow one of these translators for a moment, so that you can speak to each other.”

“I could actually talk with Leon?! Then of course I’ll tell you. It might do me some good to talk about it, anyway. To tell you the truth, I met several Flygon in the desert. A wonderful female Flygon named Allia offered to be my mate if I left Leon to live with her. I had to turn her down, but I can’t stop thinking of her. It’s driving me crazy. As much as I enjoy being with Leon, I really want to go back to her.”

Forde took all this in with an amused silence. “I see. It is natural for a Flygon of your age to want such things. These urges will only grow until you either learn to control your thoughts or fulfill your desire. I really think you should talk with Leon about this. I’m sure he’ll understand. Kita, you can tell Lucario to send Leon back now.”

Kita concentrated and the gem on her forehead glowed a bit. A moment later, Leon, Corvon, and Lucario returned. Leon’s pack seemed full now, and he looked more at ease.

“Corvon, I trust you’ve told him what he’ll need to know?” Forde inquired.

Corvon and Lucario left once again. Leon still had a lot of questions, even after what Corvon had told him. Leon decided to ask the one that bothered him the most. “Forde, why are you wanted for treason?”

“That goes back to the sides I discussed earlier. Queen Iridia seems to be on whatever the other side is. She used to be a wise and caring ruler, but recently she seems bent on expanding her empire. I used to be able to suggest which actions would be good for her kingdom, but when I opposed her preparations for war, she declared me a traitor. With some help from Kita and Chiro, we escaped the guards, and have been hiding here ever since.”

“That does seem very similar to what happened with my father. What country is Eltanah going to go to war with?”

“Midern. Midern’s ruler, King Verault, is only a few years older than King Willis, and he still remains on our side. It seems those who side with me are being attacked, but what or who is making leaders of nations change is beyond what I’ve discovered thus far. That is why we are going to aid Midern, since Eltanah’s forces will be leaving within a few days. Also, I have a powerful friend who lives close to Midern, who should have gathered some information for me by the time we arrive, if my messengers didn‘t run into many delays.”

“Okay, that’s good. Now should Elomir and I prepare to leave as well?”

“Not yet. I have something special for you first.”

Forde pulled out a small electronic device and set it on the table. “Leon, this is a translator. I’ll let you and Elomir speak to one another while I go make preparations of my own. Just bring me the translator after you are done speaking to each other. Don’t worry about taking too long, we’ll be leaving after nightfall, so you have a few hours.”

“Thank you!” Leon stammered. “I don’t know how to repay you for this unexpected surprise. I’ll do my best to help you from now on!”

“I’m sure you two have much to discuss, so just go to the end of the hallway when you’re done.”

Chiro climbed to his favorite spot on Forde’s shoulder, and Kita walked in front as the three left the room. For a brief moment, all Leon and Elomir could manage to do was stare at one another.

Leon broke the silence. “The first thing I want you to know is how that you are my best friend, but I bet you already knew that.”

The translator smoothly interpreted Elomir’s words into a deep and powerful voice. “You are also my best friend. You’ve always been by my side.”

“Yes, I try to protect you as much as you protect me. Elomir, I’ve noticed that you’ve been a bit distant lately. Did something happen with you and than other Flygon?”

“Forde said I should talk openly about this, even if it is a bit difficult. Leon, I think I’m in love with Allia, the Flygon I spent some time with. I can’t seem to stop thinking about her, and sometimes I even wish I had taken her offer to leave you and stay with her. I feel guilty every time I think such things, but the thought is still there in my heart.”

Leon paused nervously for a minute. “Hmm, I knew that something like this might happen eventually if we ever met other Flygon. I know that it is natural for pokemon to want to raise a family with a mate once they mature, like you have, but I never wanted that time to come. How about we make a deal? Let’s find a way to return my father to his old self, and then, if you still want to go to Allia, I won’t complain about it. Right now, I need you more than ever, and if you left, I‘m not sure if I could go on…”

“That is a good plan. With such wisdom, I’m sure you’ll be a great king. It’s a deal. I’ll go with you until you can return to Alagarde, and then I will go to the desert and find Allia again.”

“I’m glad that’s settled, now what else do you want to talk about?”

Leon and Elomir talked about their years, mishaps, and adventures together. After about two hours, they decided that it was time to go join Forde.

Forde watched the two entering the stables, and saw that they now shared even more of a bond than before. Leon held the translator, and him and Elomir were engaged in playful conversation as they approached Forde.

Leon grasped the translator, and sighed as he offered it back to Forde. Forde pushed his hand back. “I’ve decided that you can keep this translator. I have a few of them, and I think that you two are better off having it than me. Take this and you can wear it around your neck.”

Forde handed Leon a strap for the translator. Leon strung the device around his neck carefully. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you for this, Forde. Many people would give all they own to have one, and even a king or queen would use most their treasury to get one of these.”

“They used to be commonplace, and if you know where to look, you can find them. That’s how I got so many. Teaching electric pokemon how to charge electronics makes so useless relics from the old world become useful once again.”

“I also thank you,” Elomir added.

“Okay, then you two need to get ready to go.”

“I can carry Leon as long as I have enough food to keep my strength up,” Elomir said.

“I got plenty of good trail food in my new supplies, so we’ll be fine,” Leon added. “I even got a few spicy ones, since that is your favorite type of food.”

“Then I’m ready to fly,”

“Okay, we’ll be leaving in about an hour, after the gates close for night,” Forde explained. “Our secret exit leads us out of the walls by the main gate, so we leave late to avoid any people entering or leaving the city.”

The hour passed slowly, with each person checking their supplies several times. Corvon and Lucario opened up a doorway hidden in the stone, and peered out.

“Okay, it looks clear, let’s move,” whispered Corvon.

Unfortunately, as soon as they got on the open road, the gate opened and a patrol of soldiers in orange and yellow uniforms stepped out. Among the skeletal vegetation and smooth sand, there was no hiding spot.

They both did as commanded, and Lucario and Elomir followed. Forde, Kita, and Chiro stopped into the center of the road, ready to face the soldiers. In only a moment, the soldiers had closed in and surrounded the three, with their spears and pokemon ready to strike at the command.

The commander looked upon the man he had found. “You’re Forde! Capture him!”

Forde looked from Kita to Chiro. “You two know what to do.”

Chiro jumped from Forde’s shoulder into the air above them. He unleashed a massive discharge of electricity. The searing bolts arced from soldier to soldier and pokemon to pokemon, leaving the enemy stunned and paralyzed. Kita then used flash, blinding all the soldiers for an instant.

Forde recalled Chiro and Kita into the pokeballs, and by the time the soldiers had recovered he was far down the road, out of sight and out of danger.

Leon, Corvon, and Lucario went at a fast jog down the road, and Elomir flew above them. Flying at night made Elomir a bit nervous, since he could not make out much, so he remained above the height where any trees or rock formations would be. After about a minute of this, they heard Forde behind them.

“You can slow down now, I took care of the soldiers!” he yelled from afar.

They paused while Forde caught up, but Kita and Chiro didn’t seem to be with him.

“Where did your Espeon and Pachirisu go?” Leon asked.

“Oh, they were right behind me. Let me go see.”

After walking a short distance away, Forde returned with Chiro and Kita. “Sorry, but I don’t think we’ll be able to get much sleep tonight. Once they alert the city, they might have more patrols out after me. We should keep moving for a few more hours. It’s still at least a week’s travel to Midern, but once we get out of Eltanah, we won’t have to worry about being caught by soldiers as much.”

I'm going to take a one or two week break from posting chapters. This will be a great chance for people to catch up. Also, you do not have to post in depth review for most of these early chapters unless you really want to. Chapter 19 and later are the more current ones that reflect the things I've learned in writing more accurately, so I'd rather be judged by those. If anyone really has to have the next chapter, then send me a PM and I'll get it up before too long.

Without Annox with them, both Hurdy’s and Draconis’s hearts felt as empty as the grassy plains around them. Empty, with the same thing repeating, over and over.

“It doesn’t feel right, with only the two of us,” Hurdy muttered.

“Yeah, I just seem a bit down,” Draconis answered. “On the bright side, we are moving faster, but I’d rather have Annox back.”

“It was his decision. No use dragging along someone who doesn’t have their heart in the mission.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Maybe the solitude of these grasslands is just getting to us. There’s barely a few pokemon for miles.”

“That could be it, Draconis. Let’s just move forward and keep our hopes high. Only a few more days left.”

The two continued pressing forward. Soon, farmlands and grazing cattle began to dot the landscape. The next day, the massive city of Midern, at the side of the Wandering River, came into view. From afar, Draconis and Hurdy could see the carts, people, and pokemon coming and going from the city. They kept some distance, but had to hide as a patrol passed by.

Many of the soldiers in the group looked to be recent recruits, and the older soldiers seemed to have a look of grim determination, as if preparing for what they wished to avoid. After the thudding of boots on the hard road grew distant, Draconis and Hurdy slowly put Midern behind them.

The next day, they awakened early in anticipation of the days events. After a quick breakfast, they set off for the ruins of Pokemon Square, which lay on the horizon.

“I’ve been thinking, Draconis,” Hurdy said. “Neither of us has been to where Pokemon Square once stood, yet it holds so much of our history. When only pokemon lived in the world, it was the only organized community. It was also much more than that. It was where our ancestors once saved the world.”

“It seems that you’re in a thoughtful mood.” Draconis chuckled. “Of course it is that, but now it’s just some old ruins. Things change, and the world moves on.”

“True, and it’s how we face that change that makes us who we are.”

Hurdy and Draconis reached the outskirts of the ruins, where the stone paths remained with grass growing in every available cranny. They reverently moved forward, passing by the mossy piles of stone where bases and buildings once stood. Against a cliff to the North stood an ancient pond, where, nearby, a large stone slab was the only remaining thing that had not fallen down.

“It don’t remember this being mentioned,” Hurdy stated. “It doesn’t look as old as the rest of this.”

“It looks like there is writing on it, why don’t we go check it out?” Draconis suggested.

The large slab of granite stood about 10 feet high, and Hurdy and Draconis tried to make out the faintly engraved lettering. Hurdy did most the work, since Draconis could barely read even pokemon writing, but the engravings were too faint to be made out.

Draconis noticed a small metal circle at the lower center of the slab. “I wonder what this does?” He pressed the button inwards.

Suddenly Draconis and Hurdy were blinded by a brilliant light coming from the slab. “What did you do?” Hurdy yelled as they covered their eyes.

“Nothing. I just touched the small metal circle.”

“I hope this isn’t anything dangerous.”

They both cautiously opened their eyes, and gasped as the slab was now surrounded by Unown. The letter pokemon orbited the slab for a moment before they began spelling out a message on it.

“Hurry, read it Hurdy,” Draconis said as he pointed at the Unown.

“Okay, here is what it says.” Hurdy began reading. “In memory of Ben, the human who became a pokemon, Draconis, the one who guided him, and Absol, who joined them when all others had turned against them. May they always be remembered for saving the world from the meteor.”

When Hurdy had finished, the Unown flew off of the slab, and began circling it once again. After a moment, they formed a new message, which Hurdy read aloud to Draconis. “In memory of all the heroes who helped defeat Nerezzik, and reconnected humans and pokemon.”

At that moment, the Unown moved off of the slab, and formed into a sphere. Their combined power built in the center of the sphere before a beam of light shot out and spread across the entire slab. The light formed into images, the first of which was a Charmander finding an unconscious Mudkip. The scene then showed the two leaving Pokemon Square, fleeing from many pokemon. Next, it showed them meeting Absol. After that came the meeting with Ninetales, and tears of joy streaked down the Charmander’s face. The images now moved to epic battles. The Mudkip, Charmander, and Absol fought against Groudon and then Rayquaza. Rayquaza destroyed the meteor after his defeat, and then the images went blank.

Hurdy was in awe at what he just saw. “Draconis, I think that we just saw our ancestors in those images!”

“I was thinking the same thing. They looked just like us!”

Further discussion was interrupted as the Unown began showing a second series of images, this time about the war against Nerezzik. It began with a blonde-haired young man and a Gardevoire. The young man turned back into the Mudkip from earlier as he went with Gardevoire from his world. Meanwhile, Charmander fought alongside a Gengar, Ekans, and Medicham against many enemies. When all seemed lost, the Mudkip appeared. Soon, a pokemon unlike any other appeared to face the Mudkip. Nerezzik was his name, and he was a pokemon made from the twisted magic of ancient sorcerers. He controlled the pokemon that fought the Charmander, and was about to beat the Mudkip, who used an escape orb at the last moment. The pictures skipped ahead, to where the heroes, which included the earlier ones, now evolved into a Charizard and Swampert, fought against Nerezzik and his strongest recruits. Mewtwo also had joined Nerrezik, and the battles shown were unlike any Hurdy or Draconis had seen. Pokemon against pokemon clashed, but to Hurdy and Draconis’s surprise, human and pokemon fought. After a long time, the battle was over, but several were dead.

The Unown now broke formation and the images disappeared. The Unown vanished back to wherever they came from, leaving Draconis and Hurdy to be alone. They sat in silence for a moment, but Draconis could bear it no longer.

“Hurdy, those battles were vicious. We’re not even close to our ancestor’s powers. I also noticed that your ancestor was actually a human. I never knew that before.”

“It said that in the first message that appeared, but I guess it took some time for it to sink into your head. It is true. My ancestor was once a human, but became a pokemon and decided to stay that way. At least now we see why both humans and pokemon follow the rule of not fighting against the other.”

A new voice, both commanding and intelligent, spoke inside both their heads. “I’m glad you enjoyed the memorial. I set it up when Pokemon Square became like it is now.”

Both Draconis and Hurdy looked around in confusion, trying to see where the voice came from.

“If you’re looking for me, then look up high,” the voice hinted. “From what I saw of your thoughts and conversation, you both are descended from some of the heroes that I made this memorial for.”

Hurdy finally looked on top of the slab, where one of the pokemon they had just seen in the images floated. Draconis noticed where Hurdy was staring, and also turned to look. For a moment, the tall pokemon, with his long purple tail, thick legs, and fierce eyes just watched them. After a moment, he floated down to their level, but they had to crane their necks just to see his face.

“So, you found me. I am Mewtwo.”

Both Hurdy and Draconis shouted at the same time. “Mewtwo!”

“From your thoughts, it seems like you’ve been looking for me for some time. To what may I owe the pleasure of your company?”

“We’ve brought a message for you,” Hurdy replied.

“And it’s from Forde? This ought to be interesting. Why don’t we head to my home, where we won’t have to worry about being interrupted?”

Mewtwo flicked his hand at Draconis and Hurdy, who vanished, and then Mewtwo followed the two. They all appeared on a small island in the middle of the ocean. Groves of fruit trees covered the island’s outer edges, and in the center of the island, a circular tower of rock rose about 20 feet, and a spacious cave entrance led to the inside of this formation.

“Before you ask,” Mewtwo began, and Draconis was stopped from beginning his question. “This is my home, Western Cave, which is on Western Island, which I also consider to be my land. I live here with Mew, but she’s gone at the moment, observing some of the human kingdoms. Now, let me see that message.”

Hurdy got out the letter from their small supply pouch, and Mewtwo seemed to read it in an instant. “Zapdos also sent a message for Forde,” Hurdy declared.

“Will you let me see that one also?” Mewtwo requested.

“It’s not like it would matter. You could just read our minds if you wanted,” Draconis said, with a hint of annoyance.

“I do like to be polite when I can afford to be.”

Hurdy handed Mewtwo the second letter, which Mewtwo read over in a few seconds.

“The first letter isn’t too shocking of news. The observations of Mew and myself easily found a few deviations that I was going to discuss with Forde anyway. The second one is interesting. Mew also found a similar group, and placed them under the care of Latias and Latios in a small valley in the Northern Mountains. We’ve made no progress in restoring their memories, but like the group Zapdos found, they seemed to remember a short fragment. The one we found said:

Of crumbled inn few reminisce
Its faulty beams will not be missed

Now this is all rather curious, but I doubt any of us have a clue to unlocking its secrets. Perhaps Uxie could help, but I haven’t seen Uxie in ages.”

“Uxie? Who’s that?” Draconis questioned.

“It’s the being of knowledge,” Hurdy answered.

Mewtwo seemed to watch the two with an amused interest. “You both are quite like your forefathers in many ways. I guess some things never change. Anyways, help yourselves to the fruit, and I’ll be in my cave, trying to contact Kita, who will tell Forde about this. This might take anywhere up to a few hours, so don’t interrupt me.”

Mewtwo left for his cave, and Hurdy and Draconis gazed up at all the fruit around them, which included many kinds they had never seen before. After knocking down a few pieces with water gun, the two settled down in the shade.

“Mewtwo kind of creeps me out,” Draconis said between bites. “He seems to know what I’m thinking right as I think it.”

“He is one of the most powerful psychic pokemon,” Hurdy explained. “It seems odd that neither him nor Forde have figured out what is changing the humans.”

“Maybe it’s just human nature. They aren’t always the best of creatures.”

“I don’t think all of it could be due to that. Whole groups of people don’t just lose their memories, like with Zapdos’s village or the one Mewtwo mentioned. Whatever it is, it must be something unusual for neither of those two to find it yet.”

“I’d rather not think about all of that right now. I just want to enjoy this food, and maybe take a nap if Mewtwo is really going to take a few hours.”

“I think I’ll join you on taking a nap, I’m pretty tired.”

So, hours later, near sunset, both Draconis and Hurdy found themselves being shaken awake while floating. Mewtwo promptly placed them on their feet after they awakened.

“I got through to Kita, who spoke with Forde,” Mewtwo explained. Forde has learned that Eltanah plans to attack Midern, so he is headed North with a few others to help defend Midern. He requests your help, if you wish to give it, and also mentions that if you go see him now, he will have your rewards ready. If you decide not to help, he gave me permission to return you home, where he may have your reward whenever he has time to travel that way again.”

“Midern? Isn’t that the people that Annox joined with?” Draconis announced.

“Yes, it is!” Hurdy gasped. “If a war is going to break out, we’d better go help Annox!”

“I think your decision is quite clear then,” Mewtwo concluded. “We are to wait here until Forde is near the city of Midern, and then join him. That gives us a day or two to prepare, so we’ll do some practice tomorrow.”

At that moment, Mew appeared to the side of Mewtwo. She was much smaller and pink with a long, thin tail. She took in the two unknown pokemon, and she and Mewtwo seemed to be sharing some unspoken communication for a few minutes. Afterwards, she turned to Draconis and Hurdy to share the news.

“A formal greeting will have to be cut short,” she began. “I was in Deltan for some time, but decided to check on Rinn. Upon arriving, I found out the Kingdom of Rinn had sent out its army to attack Midern several days ago. The army itself has already begun its push into Midern’s lands, and will be at the capital sometime tomorrow! Mewtwo told me that Eltanah has also sent its forces, which further increases the danger of this situation. If we do nothing, Midern will surely fall to this two-pronged attack. We need to leave for Midern now!”

“I guess that erases our day or two of preparation, but we’re needed,” Mewtwo added. “Now let’s be going.”

Mewtwo and Mew began glowing with psychic energy, and soon the four pokemon warped to the dark inside of a building in Midern.

Chapter 13

After two days of avoiding patrols, Leon and Corvon were weary. The rapid pace was exhausting them. On the other hand, Forde seemed to be as strong as ever, showing no sign of weariness.

The pokemon were more hardy than the humans. Elomir, Lucario, Kita, and Chiro all kept up (although for Chiro, that meant staying on Forde’s shoulder). Elomir was less distracted now. Each day that passed, each mile he traveled, and every foe that he fought meant he was that much closer to returning to Allia.

Behind them, the lights of Eltanah’s advancing army could be seen where they had been only the night before. Even after this arduous journey was over, they wouldn’t have much time to rest. But for now, their goal was to get past the large fort near the border.

This large garrison had frequent patrols, and flat ground offered no cover from the sentries on the walls. After studying it from a distance for a short time, Forde revealed his plan.

“When the sun begins to set,” he explained, “that is when we make our move. You two will move into the shadows on the Eastern side of the fort, while I’ll go on the West, providing a distraction.”

Corvon seemed worried. “Why must you always be the one in danger, while we run or stay in the shadows? We’d like to help.”

Forde just gave an amused sigh. “Just look at yourselves. Both you and Leon are exhausted. Your pokemon could help if you want them to, but they’ll have to be careful.”

Leon thought the plan over. “Forde’s right. Neither of us could escape as well as he can. I do wish to help, though. Elomir, you wouldn’t mind giving some air support to Forde, would you?”

“If it gets us through faster, then I’m all for it,” Elomir replied.

As the few hours passed before sunset, they rested and went over the plan several times. The advancing army behind them gave them something to be nervous about, but they would be gone soon enough. At last, the time had come.

Forde, along with Chiro and Kita, took off at a light run. The group moved quickly, and the sentries soon spotted them. The alarm was sounded, and a regiment of soldiers moved to block Forde. Since he didn’t show any sign of slowing, some archers on the wall began taking shots at him. The fort also sent out some pokemon to capture him.

“Remember, this will be a running battle,” reminded Forde. “Just slow them down and move on. Elomir will provide enough cover for us.”

Forde never broke stride, but Kita slowed as she placed a barrier in the way of the first attackers. Chiro shot thunder waves from Forde’s shoulder, stopping several attackers in their tracks. Even with these attacks against them, several enemies still began to catch up.

Kita broke out into an all out run, and an Arcanine was right behind her. It seemed to be gaining on her with each stride, and it leapt to block her way. In the air, the Arcanine was knocked aside by a diving green blur, which turned out to be Elomir.

“I’ll cover you. Catch up with Forde,” Elomir stated.

Elomir began blasting foes with his dragonbreath attack. Kita continued running towards Forde, who had slowed down to allow her to catch up. Arrows began to thud into the ground near Forde, and right as Kita reached him, she saw an arrow heading right for him. In a barely visible motion, Forde caught the arrow. He dropped it as Kita moved past him and stayed at her pace.

With the entire fort distracted, Leon, Corvon, and Lucario had made their way past the fort, and now were running away from it. Forde and his group joined them a minute later.

“Now for Elomir to pull of the final part of the plan,” said Forde, not even out of breath.

At the moment, Elomir was engaged in battle with a Crobat that had been tailing him. After getting hit by its supersonic waves, he couldn’t seem to fly straight. The Crobat scored a few hits with wing attacks. Sporting a few fresh bruises, Elomir recovered and whipped his tail to meet the Crobat. His tail slammed right into the center of its face, and it was spiked down to the ground below.

Elomir found the others soon, and torched a large line of grass with his breath. The grass burst into small flames, and the large amount of smoke would cover their escape. Luckily, the grass wasn’t dry enough for the fire to spread far, but it would block the troops long enough.

Leon called from below. “Good work, Elomir. It’s been decided that you’ll carry me and Corvon. Forde and Lucario will take the supplies and travel on the ground.”

Elomir landed, muttering as the two humans climbed on. “This is going to be heavy. I think I can manage if it’s for a short time.”

Leon patted Elomir’s head as the dragon took off. “It won’t be long. Just to that next fort up there, which is where Midern’s official border begins.”

Elomir seemed to be having trouble gaining height, but leveled out. Below them, the small figures of Forde and Lucario could be seen, moving at a brisk run. They kept this up for about an hour and, under the faint blue light of twilight, they reached the border fort of Midern.

The guards at this fort, in their green and blue colors, stopped them briefly as the commander arrived. Once Forde had explained the situation to the commander, they were let in and given a simple but filling meal and given the guest rooms to sleep in. After the long day, they all fell right asleep.

The next morning they were given another good meal, but the soldiers of this fort seemed on edge after Eltanah’s army had been spotted on the horizon. “Farewell,” said the commander as the group left. “Take word of this to the capital as quickly as possible. They‘ll need you more there. The last messenger had some troubling news about Rinn moving its armies, but after that we’ve lost all communication. We’ll hold this fort as long as possible.”

Once again they were off on another day of walking along the dusty road in the hot sun. The night at the fort had given them a bit more rest and food than usual, so everyone was ready to travel the final stretch to Midern.

The first day gave Leon plenty of time to think. He and Elomir were doing much better now that they could speak to each other. Leon realized he didn’t really know much about Corvon, Lucario, or Forde and his pokemon so he decided to ask them that night.

Once they had set up the fire, Leon made his move. “Corvon, Forde, I realized that I never really got to know about where you’re from. Would you mind telling me?”

Corvon poked at the fire a minute before responding. “I was young when the collapse occurred. In the resulting cataclysm, I lost both parents. I had lived in a remote area and wandered, finding food where I could. Lost and hungry one day, I collapsed. A Riolu, who is now this Lucario, found me and took care of me. The two of us lived in the mountains for a time, taking care of each other. Once evolved, Lucario wanted a bit more adventure than wandering the mountains provided, so we made our way to what remained of civilization.”

Corvon adjusted the cooking meat over the fire and continued. “We both made a decent living as mercenaries, and Lucario would only allow us to take the jobs with no injustice involved.”

“I’ve got my pride and reputation to uphold,” Lucario cut in.

Corvon gave his partner a pat on the back. “At times this meant some hardship for us, but eventually we found Forde, who offered us a permanent job working for him. Until recently, we would keep an eye on things were Forde could not be. With this war beginning, it looks like we may be getting back into fighting once again.”

“Thanks for telling us,” Leon complimented. “What about you, Forde?”

“Dinner is ready,” Forde declared. “I’ll tell you after that.”

They each took their share of the food, but Forde walked off with his. Kita and Chiro accompanied him, as always.

“I’ve noticed that Forde doesn’t like to eat with others,” Leon stated.

When they were both done, Forde returned. “I’m ready to tell you a little bit of my past, but keep in mind that I’m older than I look. I also lived before the collapse. Back then, I had teachers who taught me in many things. They knew the collapse was coming and were teaching me how to carry on the secrets of technology and society that might have been lost otherwise. Right before the collapse, I was sent to a place called Relic Academy, where the effects of the collapse were the least.”

Elomir, who had been listening with his eyes closed, perked up and interrupted Forde. “Relic Academy? Me and Leon met three pokemon from there. We freed them from a trap in the forest. Apparently they were delivering a message for you, Forde.”

Leon seemed to be trying hard to remember. “You mean that Charmander, Mudkip, and Turtwig we met were from there? What kind of a place is Relic Academy?”

“It is the closest thing pokemon have to a city,” Forde explained. “If you met those three you described, then you did me a favor by saving them. I was having them take a message for me. That’s just one of the things I’ve been able to do with these translators. Once you get to know pokemon, you’ll find out that most of them are just as complex as people. But let’s get back to my story. After the collapse, I began to help the emerging kingdoms. I helped establish the trade routes used now. I also introduced some basic technologies to make their lives easier and ease the suffering. And until now, I’ve been able to keep peace.”

“I never would have imagined that you did all that,” Leon said. “Thanks for telling me. It’s getting pretty late now, so I think I’ll be going to bed.”

“Me, too,” Corvon added.

Soon, they were all resting, and the pokemon would take turns on the watch. Leon was not quite asleep, and so he whispered quietly to Elomir, who sat next to him, taking the first shift for the night watch.

“Hey, Elomir, do you think Forde was telling the whole truth?”

“I’m not really sure, Leon. We’ve all been together only a few days, so they probably left parts out. Everyone has sensitive or embarrassing moments they don’t like to talk about.”

“Like that time you got stuck in a tree when learning how to fly?”

“If you’re going to go there, why don’t I mention the time you spilled the drinks all over the place at that ball, including on your father’s fancy clothes?”

“Okay, I’ll drop it.”

“Me, too.”

Both Leon and Elomir began laughing at the embarrassing memories, but after a few minutes Corvon yelled at them to be quiet. As he stopped laughing, Leon settled down to sleep.

Later that night, when it was Kita’s turn to be on watch, Forde stayed up with her as usual.

“Kita, do you think I should ever reveal the entire truth? I know I look like them, but the differences become obvious if we stay with them too long. I think they both have noticed a few odd things about me already.”

“No, I don’t think you should. Perhaps once things are settled again, but I think you won’t ever need to reveal it. Me and Chiro are meant to be your company and keep your secret.”

“Yes, I will wait, then. For now. We need to worry about what is causing this war first, not to mention the coming battle we face at Midern. If Rinn also moved its armies in, then we’ll be facing a long siege, hedged in by two armies. I only hope there will be enough supplies to last through such an event. Otherwise, we may need to intervene more directly than ever before.”

“It won’t come to that, Forde. I’ll be your sword, and Chiro can be your… whatever. Anyways, with us you won’t need to pick up a weapon. Now or ever.”

“I only pray that is so.”

The following morning came, and another day of traveling passed. By the end, they could see the city of Midern in the distance, and another army on the horizon.

Forde frowned at this turn of events. “Just as I feared. Rinn’s army is almost upon Midern. We won’t get much rest tonight. We must travel until it’s dark.”

Leon sighed and picked up his pack. The few hours of traveling brought them much closer to Midern, and the fires of the two armies dotted the horizons on the South and Northeast, glittering like eyes watching them. Forde allowed them all to rest, setting no watch after the long day.

Around noon, they finally arrived, and the guards let them in with smiles, since Midern could use all the help in the coming battle. As soon as they entered, a man, in a brown cloak that covered his entire body and face, approached Forde. The man whispered a few things and Forde’s mood suddenly brightened.

“I’ll see you at the base,” Forde told the man. “First I must go see the king.”

The cloaked man nodded and walked off, and had disappeared a few moments later.

“Who was that? I’ve never seen him before,” Corvon questioned.

“An ally of mine,” Forde replied. “With his help, we’ll have a few less things to worry about. You’ll meet him soon, but I must go to the king. Corvon, you know the way to my base, so take Leon there. We only have a few short hours before battle.”

“I will,” Corvon answered. Corvon led Leon down some side streets before pausing in a dark alley. He cautiously looked around before moving a barrel aside and lifting up a thin stone covering that concealed a ladder leading down.

The four of them made their way down, but for Elomir it was a tight squeeze through the entrance. Once down, they were in a base much like the one in Eltanah, with storage rooms and a meeting hall with a table. The lights had already been powered up, despite Chiro not coming to this base for a long time. Waiting for them, at the head of the table, was the cloaked figure from earlier.

“Forde sent you here while he went to the king,” the figured stated, already knowing what had gone on. “Very well, we shall wait, but let’s get introductions out of the way first. Be prepared. I am not a man, as I may seem.”

The figure’s last statement explained why the voice seemed to be in their heads. That was little cushioning to the next shock. The cloak around the figure disappeared, revealing large creature with a long purple tail and thin body.

“I am Mewtwo, a pokemon that works with Forde. You all arrived faster than expected, which is for the best.”

These statements washed over Leon, Corvon, Lucario, and Elomir much like the shock from the appearance. Before them was the mysterious Mewtwo, who they had only heard about in legends.

“I’m Draconis,” the Charmander added. “I think we’ll be working together in this coming battle.”

“I’m Hurdy,” the Mudkip stated. “I think we already met two of you before.”

Elomir recognized the two. “Yes, we saved you in the forest, but where did the Turtwig go?”

Hurdy looked down at the floor. “We don’t really know. I was hoping to find him, but Rinn’s army must have already captured the fort he was at. I only hope he’s okay.”

“Forde’s here,” Mewtwo interrupted.

A moment later, Forde, Chiro, and Kita entered the small meeting room. Forde motioned everyone to take their places at the table before beginning his explanation. “Okay, I’ve spoken with King Verault. He’s prepared all available men to help defend the city. Against two armies, his best hope is to hold them off until their supplies, morale, or numbers run low. With the extra refugees that have been coming in, the city only has enough food for a few days. If the siege lasts any longer than that, can I count on you, Mewtwo and Mew to help?”

“Food will be easy to teleport in,” Mewtwo stated.

“What else will we be doing during the siege?” Mew asked.

“I’m glad you asked,” Forde said. “I think we need to get to the bottom of why the nations are attacking Midern. You both will go and do some mind-reading for me. See if you can discover anything from Queen Iridia of Eltanah or King Zeidhelme of Rinn. One of you will also need to search for Uxie, who may hold some of the information we need. Keep in contact with me daily to see how we are faring here.”

“Sounds fun,” Mewtwo responded as he gave a bow and vanished.

“I hope we can find what you’re looking for,” Mew replied before going as well.

“What about us?” Draconis demanded.

“The time for battle is nearly upon us,” Forde answered. “You and Hurdy will join Leon, Corvon, and their partners in the battle. All of you will help on the main front, unless I have some other need for you. I will be moving around, helping King Verault command the troops in battle, so you’ll be seeing me from time to time.”

“What about the reward for delivering the message to Mewtwo?” Hurdy inquired.

“Oh, yes, I do have that. Let me get it.” Forde pulled two objects out of his pack. “Here, catch.”

Forde tossed the first item to Draconis. It was a claw of some kind, attached to a string that was to be worn around the neck.

“That is a quick claw,” explained Forde. “It will make you move faster in battle. Perfect for someone like you, right?”

“I can’t wait to try it.”

Forde turned to Hurdy. “For you, I have this.”

Since Mudkip can’t catch well, Forde slid the item over the tabletop to Hurdy. It seemed to be a pair of glasses with a few odd markings on the rims.

“Those are called the wise glasses. Besides making you look smart, they’ll increase the power of your special attacks.”

Hurdy slipped on the glasses. “Hmm, I see.”

Forde resumed giving the orders. “The time to move out is upon us. You’ll be defending the Eastern wall near the gate. Good luck.”

Forde led them out to their post. Beyond the walls, the army of Rinn was closing the last few miles between them and Midern. However, there seemed to be something running in front of Rinn’s army.

“What is that?” wondered Hurdy.

“Elomir, why don’t you check it out?” Leon suggested.

Elomir took off towards the creature. It seemed something yellow-green was draped between the two bushes on a rounded yellow shell that was on top of a light green creature. Elomir hovered in the air above it, and discovered it was a Grotle, carrying an unconscious Bayleef that had a vicious wound on its side.

“I need help!” the Grotle pleaded. “Get them to open the gates!”

That the Grotle needed help was obvious. The Bayleef had a serious injury that trickled blood down onto the shell of the Grotle. The Grotle itself also had a few burns and cuts, mostly on its tail and lower legs.

“But who are you?” Elomir questioned.

“We’re on your side. We used to be at the Northwestern Fort, until it was destroyed.”

“Keep coming. I’ll get help.”

Elomir returned to the wall and reported. “It’s a Grotle carrying a Bayleef. We need to let them in. He said Northwestern Fort has been destroyed, and both of them have injuries that need care.“

Forde started to head down to the gate. “Draconis, Hurdy, you both had better come with me.”

Forde had the gate opened just enough for the Grotle to fit through, which arrived shortly after this arrangement was made.

“Take her!” the Grotle gasped. “She needs help!”

Several small trails of red ran down the side of Grotle from the Bayleef. Draconis and Hurdy both looked at one another and then back to the Grotle.

“Annox is that you?” Hurdy questioned. “Your voice sounds a bit deeper, but much like before.”

“Yes, but I must get Peoria help now!” Annox replied.

“Follow me,” commanded Forde.

Annox stayed right behind Forde as they headed towards the medical hall in the center of town. Draconis and Hurdy had to hurry to keep up with the two.

“You look much tougher, Annox,” Draconis stated, trying to lessen the tension. “When did you evolve?”

“Not now, Draconis. I must help Peoria. After that I’ll tell you.”

They went the rest of the way in silence. Soon they arrived at a building full of medical staff and clean white beds.

“Has the battle started?” the head medic inquired after seeing the injured Bayleef.

“Not yet,” Forde replied. “But it will have begun by the time I get back to the walls. These two are survivors from the Northwestern Fort. From the looks of it, they are the only ones.”

“We’ll give them the best treatment. We’ve preparing all day for this.”

Peoria was lifted from Annox’s shell. On her side was a large cut, running from her shoulder to her back leg. The medics set about cleaning and bandaging the wound.

“Her pulse is faint from loss of blood, but it looks like she was brought here in time. Luckily the cut wasn’t too deep,” the medic explained to Annox.

“Ah, yes, I made it,” Annox muttered in relief, almost fainting.

The medic noticed Annox’s swaying and watched him carefully. The medic now turned his attention to the cuts and burns on Annox.

“We’d better take care of you, too,” the medic stated.

The medic applied a paste made of berries to the burns and cuts before wrapping them in bandages. All the while, Draconis and Hurdy waited to ask Annox what had happened.

“You should rest and heal,” the medic announced. “Oh, the man who brought you in said to give this to you after we dealt with the injuries. Said it was some kind of reward, a miracle seed.”

The medic placed a string around Annox’s neck. At the end was a small pouch that held the seed. After giving this, the medic walked away to help the first victims from the siege. This left Draconis and Hurdy alone to speak with their friend.

“I’m so tired, but I finally made it,” Annox weakly stated.

“It’s good to see you again,” Hurdy said. “What happened?”

“I’d like to know, too,” Draconis added. “We leave you for a week and you come back like this, so much stronger.”

Annox took Draconis’s last words darkly. “I am stronger, but I wasn’t strong enough.” Tears now began to trickle down from Annox’s eyes onto the small yellow spikes above the corners of his mouth. “The first three days we trained. Peoria, Petal, and the others pushed me hard, hard enough that I evolved. It was a happy time, spending each day with Peoria, but it didn’t last. Rinn’s army came upon us. Despite being a small outpost, we held them off for a day. After that, they broke through the wall, and…”

Annox shuddered and began to cry harder. “And… they showed no mercy. The soldiers all fell, and many of the pokemon as well. Me, Peoria, and Petal managed to break out of the fort, but Peoria was seriously injured. Petal told me to take Peoria and run for Midern while she held them off. That was the last I saw of Petal. At least I saved Peoria.”

“That’s awful!” Hurdy stated. “Me and Draconis will do our best to make sure that doesn’t happen here.”

“Get a hold of yourself!” Draconis snapped at Annox. “We have to fight! Midern may not be able to hold on without us! It’s not like we could get out, now that Eltanah’s going to be joining the fight soon. We must fight together, or we’ll die! Don’t let the sacrifices of those you fought with at the fort be for nothing! Recover and join us in battle!”

Annox shook the tears from his face. “ I guess… you’re right. I will keep fighting. For Peoria and for everyone else, but for now… I’ll rest.”

Annox passed out from exhaustion. He had been running for a whole day, and was finally getting a well deserved rest. Draconis and Hurdy quietly left him and Peoria to their rest and healing.

As they approached the wall, Draconis and Hurdy could hear the sounds of battle. The setting sun dyed the clouds above blood red. The clash of weapons became the background, and shrieks of injured or dying pokemon could be heard from time to time. Upon arriving Draconis and Hurdy witnessed Corvon dispatch a few soldiers with his sword, which was a single handed but had a long sturdy blade. Lucario used his aura sphere to drive off attacking pokemon.

“Nice of you to join us,” Corvon greeted. “They’re just testing our defenses at the moment. None of these soldiers or pokemon are highly trained, but it’s no reason to let your guard down.”

Above them, Leon rained arrows down upon the ranks of enemy soldiers as Elomir chased after any flying enemies.

“You seem a bit young to be in a battle like this,” Lucario said. “I hope you are prepared. Don’t take on more than you’re ready for.”

“Thanks for the advice,” Hurdy stated as he and Draconis went to take on a couple of pokemon that had gotten onto the wall.

“After what they did to Annox and Peoria, I’m itching for battle!” Draconis stated in excitement.

Adrenaline building, both of them rushed the Sneasel and Slugma. Draconis went for the Sneasel with his claws, but it jumped to the side and countered with its own claws. Draconis tried moving back, but the tips of the claws still raked Draconis, leaving him with two small cuts. Draconis now shot a flamethrower at the Sneasel, and the direct hit caused it to fall from the wall.

Beside Draconis, Hurdy was taking on the Slugma. He shot his water gun at it, drenching it in water. The water turned to steam around the magma slug, and it shot its flamethrower at Hurdy. Hurdy dodged a direct hit, but his back leg and fin were scorched by the flame, which didn’t do much to Hurdy anyways. Hurdy used another water gun, and the Slugma collapsed.

“What do we do with fainted enemies?” Hurdy pondered.

“Just leave it, I’m sure the soldiers or pokemon of Midern will take care of it.”

The two continued fighting together. Draconis‘s tail seemed to flare larger and more violently with each enemy he defeated, but Hurdy seemed to just be wearing down. Soon the sun set, and the enemy retreated to their camp. Draconis and Hurdy sported a few minor cuts and bruises, but had avoided any enemies that looked too strong for them. Lucario seemed untouched, as did Corvon. Elomir landed, and looked like he had gotten into a few too many fights with bird types, the scrapes from talons covering his wings and sides. Leon was a bit sweaty, but otherwise unchanged from earlier.

“Not too bad of a battle, how did it go down here?” Leon greeted.

“Easy for me and Lucario,” Corvon answered. “They were just testing our defenses. The serious fighting will begin once Eltanah comes in tomorrow. It seems like there was few casualties on our side. They’ll need much better soldiers or much greater numbers to breach the defenses we have.”

“I was just getting into the fighting,” Draconis added. “Once I get going, I find it hard to stop. It just seems too calm now.”

“I don’t miss the fighting one bit,” Hurdy said. “I don’t mind reading about it, but fighting for this long was wearing me out.”

“You two have gotten much better since the forest,” Elomir complimented. “The foes here were about the same training or better, and you fought much more of them.”

“Crossing the mountains must have strengthened us,” Draconis replied. “We had to fight many wild pokemon there. This is the first battle that’s really gotten my blood boiling! I’ll be ready and willing to take on anyone tomorrow! But, there is one thing I want more than that, and that’s dinner!”

Everyone laughed, and now Forde approached them. Kita beside him looked much like Lucario, a little tired, but untouched. Pachirisu seemed to be excited and jumpy.

“I can see your spirits are good, and that you all are unhurt,” Forde observed. We’ll be staying at the castle, since I am one of the king’s top strategists in this battle. They’ll have plenty of food there.”

As they walking Chiro began talking. “Exciting battle, wasn’t it? I zapped so many birds out of the sky! Any of you have any cool battles?”

Kita just sighed. “Don’t mind him. Battles get him wound up. Sometimes it can be tiring just listening to him.”

“That Sneasel had some nasty claws,” Draconis stated. “They left these two scratches on me, my worst wounds of the day.”

“Just a few bruises, but nothing major here,” Hurdy added.

“You must have been on the other side, Chiro, because there were flocks of birds in my skies,” Elomir said. “They couldn’t get much more than scrapes against me, but look at all of them.”

Elomir fanned his wings out, just to show the numerous scrapes he was talking about.

“I’ll help you take care of those,” Leon said. “My arms are sore, but that’s about it.”

“Hopefully tomorrow ends with us all in such good condition,” Forde declared as they arrived at the castle.

The castle of Midern was near the center of town. It had much higher and thicker walls than those around the town, and could be used as a last defense if the town itself were broken into. Hopefully the battle would not get that vicious. It was made of brown stone, taken from the cliffs of the nearby river. On the tops of it were the green and blue banners.

They entered into the gateway, and the elite soldiers and pokemon could be seen as guards here. Soon, they went through the large wooden doors that made up the entrance to the inside of the castle. Once inside, the royal chamber was set for dinner. The carpets were all the blue and green or Midern. The king himself sat at his royal table with a few other members of the royal family and his top commanders.

King Verault was a man with an honest face and short red hair. He wore a small but elegant crown, and sported a small waxed moustache. He still had on some parts of his armor from the battle, and looked to have a strong and able body. Behind the king was his Scizor, silent and cold.

Beside the king was a thin woman with graying red hair, the king’s mother. The sisters of the king all had red hair as well. The queen sat on the right of the king, and had long black hair and a thin frame.

“Ah, Forde, so nice of you to bring your friends,” the king greeted. “I know that you eat alone, so your food as well as your pokemon’s is in your room. I would like your guests to eat here, if they don’t mind.”

Forde thanked the king with a bow. Leon and Corvon approached the king, bowed, and then were seated at a table, both facing the king. The pokemon were to eat on the side of the room, except Lucario who could handle human silverware. Ornate bowls piled with food awaited them, and they took their places over there.

“Forde didn’t really tell me much about you two,” explained the king. “I would appreciate if you would tell me about yourselves as your dinner is brought in.”

Currently, only the silverware was on the table, and the ornate cutlery reminded Leon of home.

Corvon chose to go first, seeing that Leon was caught up in remembering home. “I’m Corvon, a mercenary that Forde has hired to work for him. My partner is Lucario.”

“What about you?” the king now watched Leon. “Your cape bears the symbol of Alagarde, and I am curious how one from such a far kingdom got here.”

Leon prepared to reveal himself. “I’m Leon, well, actually Prince Leon of Alagarde. My father didn’t want my dissent against his war on our peaceful neighboring kingdom of Farna, and so I was banished. My Flygon, Elomir, is over there.”

“Prince Leon, a pleasure to have you here in our kingdom,” King Verault said. “If I had known it was you, I would have given you a more proper greeting. How fares the Eastern Kingdoms? I don’t get much news from that area, except from the occasional trader that comes in from there.”

“My father has probably started his war with Farna by now, but before I left, the kingdoms of Alagarde and Farna were doing well. Despite some troubles with bandits, the kingdoms were growing and prospering.”

“It sounds much like my kingdom then, prospering before this war that seems to have come without reason. Once we break the siege of Midern, I hope Forde can find out why all this is happening. Oh, there’s dinner. I hope you’ll enjoy it, even if it is a bit simple due to saving food to last us through the siege. If you had come in better times, then I surely would have had much more for guests.”

Despite the king’s words, they had plenty of food. They all ate and shortly afterwards, all went to bed. The chambers had soft beds, as well as large pillows for their pokemon to sleep on. Draconis and Hurdy were staying in Forde’s room, since they had no human partners. Everyone but Forde was asleep quickly, and so Forde headed out to the castle walls for a short walk, knowing to expect an update from Mewtwo and Mew soon. Halfway around the castle walls, Mewtwo and Mew appeared in front of Forde.

“Good evening,” greeted Forde.

“Good evening,” answered Mew. “I searched for Uxie, but found Azelf instead. They have such similar psychic energies. Anyways, when I asked if Azelf had noticed anything odd, the being of willpower said that something was making so the leaders were more willing to go to war. Something has some hold on them that warps their natural willpower. Azelf also said that it had not seen Uxie for some time, but that its sibling, Mesprit, had seen Uxie much more recently. I’ll continue looking tomorrow.”

“I decided to go to the desert and look into Queen Iridia,” Mewtwo explained. “Most of her thoughts were on the war, but the strangest thing was that her memories were missing. The only thing I know can do that is Uxie, but I don’t think Uxie would mess with humans unless it had to. Strange thoughts, seemingly from somewhere else also seemed to be in her head. One of these was clear, and so I thought I would tell it to you. It seems to be part of the earlier message I discovered. Anyways, it goes:

Lonely mushroom bursts to flame
In the land that quicksands claim.”

“This poem seems to be leading to something,” Forde suggested. “Anyways, good job, and I’ll see you tomorrow, around the same time. Remember to bring in some food supplies as well, although we don’t need much yet.”

Mewtwo and Mew both disappeared, and Forde went back to bed. Although unnecessary, shutting down most his physical and mental activity felt good sometimes, particularly after a busy day. Only the small part, calculating the next day’s strategy, remained going.

Before the sun had risen, Draconis and Hurdy found themselves being shaken awake. Hurdy blinked his eyes a few times before hopping off the pillow he was sleeping on. Draconis just flicked his flaming tail at whoever it was, pretending to still be asleep.

“If that hits me again, I’ll have to bite you,” came the irritated voice of Kita.

“Fine, fine. I’m up.” Draconis stood up and stretched while yawning.

“So what are we doing now?” Hurdy asked.

Chiro hopped down to the floor from Forde’s bed. “Breakfast time, sleepyheads! Time to go!”

“Man, he has a lot of energy for it being so early…” Draconis muttered.

“Chiro is right,” Forde added. “Time for breakfast, and then we’ll be heading off. I believe the battle will start again shortly after sunrise.”

Hurdy started to head out. “It’ll be a tough day. So we’d better eat a good breakfast.”

Once again they ate in the king’s hall. Leon, Corvon, Lucario, and Elomir were there, all looking tired, and didn’t seem inclined to speak much. This left Forde and King Verault to speak on the upcoming battle.

“Estimates are in,” Verault declared. “The Rinn army measures around 4000, with an almost even split in numbers of humans and pokemon. Reports also show that Eltanah’s army is about the same in size. Unfortunately our own army did not have time to fully gather. We have around 3000 here, but many more soldiers are still stationed in some of the far villages and forts, since they have not had time to return here. If we had our full army, then we would also have around 4000. Let us hope my messengers reached them, and that they come swiftly. There is some good news, though. Our food supplies seem higher than anticipated. The soldiers and citizens will still have large rations of food. This will certainly boost morale.”

“At least there is that good news,” Forde replied. “Your estimates match what I believed the two armies to hold. Now the question is how the armies will deploy themselves. I think today they will begin using their siege pokemon, so be sure to have soldiers ready to protect the city. Powerful pokemon can easily knock a hole or two in the wall.”

“I’m well aware of that. I’ve put many of our aerial pokemon on locating how many such pokemon they have. That way we’ll be able to keep track of them.”

Suddenly, the sound of a horn being blown from outside could be heard.

“The call to battle,” Forde explained. “Once again, you will all be at the Eastern wall. Also, I checked Annox and Peoria. They are recovering. Annox may join the fighting by tomorrow, but Peoria will still need a few days of healing. She has not awakened at all.”

They headed out. Leon and Corvon packed food for later for themselves and the four pokemon. During the battle they could only hope for a short break to eat such food. On the streets, soldiers marched with pokemon to their positions. The marketplaces were quiet, but children and mothers could be seen watching from doorways as their fathers or husbands headed off to battle.

At the Eastern Wall, they could see Eltanah’s newly arrived army getting in position for battle. Rinn’s army was to the north now. To the south, the large river provided protection, and prevented most enemies from crossing.

Forde surveyed the army beyond the walls. “Before I go, I have a few warnings to you. Eltanah’s army will be focusing most their power on this wall, so the fighting will be much more intense that before. Keep together, and if you get separated, be sure to stay with Midern’s forces. Getting separated in battle is one of the surest ways to get killed. Also, Elomir, expect their air forces to be much stronger today. Now I have other soldiers to go command, so stay alive.”

Forde walked off. Leon and Elomir took to the skies. The enemy now was in range of arrows, which started raining down upon them. Up in the sky, Leon took a few shots, but stopped as a Gligar attacked Elomir. The smaller pokemon darted around quickly, stinging Elomir twice before he finally knocked it away with a slash attack.

Down below, the enemy reached the walls, and began trying to scale it with ladders and grappling hooks. Draconis set a few of the ladders and ropes on fire, preventing any from getting up nearby. Hurdy shot water at the pokemon below the wall. Lucario took out a few pokemon below with aura sphere. Corvon had out a crossbow, which he fired at the soldiers below.

“None of them can get up,” Draconis boasted. “Wooden ladders and rope just won’t last against my flame.”

“Yes, good work Draconis,” Hurdy complimented.

“Don’t think that they don’t have a few other weapons,” Lucario admonished. “Wait! Something’s coming!”

A path in the soldiers below was cleared, and a Rhyhorn was building up speed, heading for the wall right where they stood.

“We have to stop that!” Lucario yelled. “Focus all attacks on it!”

Lucario shot an aura sphere at it, hitting it directly. The attack slowed the Rhyhorn down a little, but it kept coming. It was coming closer and closer to the wall. Lucario shot another aura sphere at it, and Hurdy launched a water gun at it. The two attacks hit it right as it neared the wall, and knocked the Rhyhorn unconscious. The momentum it had built up did not stop, however, and so it flew forward, slamming into the wall.

Crack! The wall trembled, and a few pieces began to crumble. At first it seemed to be stopping, so Draconis continued shooting flames at the enemies. Once again the cracking of stone could be heard a minute later.

“Draconis! Get off there!” Corvon yelled, but too late.

A section near the Rhyhorn’s impact began collapsing. Hurdy ran towards Corvon, the stone crumbling right behind him. Draconis was further behind, and tried scrambling up the falling stone, but slipped.

Hurdy turned around, seeing if his friend was safe. His friend disappeared into the dust and debris that shot up from the falling wall. “No! Draconis!” Hurdy yelled in desperation.

The wall finished falling, leaving a pile of rubble about half as high as the original wall. The Rhyhorn from earlier was completely buried, and Draconis could not be seen anywhere.

“Draconis, can you hear me?” Hurdy called out as he began rushing to the pile.

Corvon and Lucario also headed down to the pile of rubble, but that was because Eltanah’s army was now sending a large group of soldiers and pokemon to take advantage of the hole in Midern’s defenses. Before Eltanah’s army arrived, a group of Midern’s forces came to help hold the line.

“Hurdy! You’d better check on the side inside the wall for now!” Lucario yelled out since Hurdy had gotten out past where the soldiers had gathered. He didn’t want another one of the young pokemon hurt, if it could be avoided.

Hurdy glanced around the fallen stone for the familiar flame of his friend before heading up the pile and to the other side inside the wall. He seemed to have lost interest in the battle, and was solely concentrated on moving stones around while calling out the name of his friend. Eltanah’s forces charged for the gap now, and Corvon and Lucario became engaged in vicious close combat.

From the distant walls, Forde had seen the dust from the collapsing wall. He hurried over, knowing that Corvon and the others had been near where the wall collapsed. When he finally arrived, the fighting had already begun, but he spotted the lone Mudkip, desperately searching the wreckage.

“Kita, can you sense if Draconis is alive?” Forde asked. “I see everyone else, so he’s the one to be worried about.”

“It will be difficult with so many pokemon around, but I should be able to do it,” Kita replied. “Just give me a minute.”

Kita began focusing and the red gem on her forehead glowed. Chiro shot a few electric bolts at enemies below the walls, hitting most of his targets.

“He’s alive at least,” Kita announced. “At the moment I think he is knocked out. I couldn’t sense any thought from him.”

“We’d better go tell Hurdy that.” Forde began to head down from the wall.

Hurdy was too involved in his search to notice Forde approaching. His friend had disappeared, and he wasn’t going to stop until he found him. Suddenly, a purple paw tapped his shoulder, so he turned to see who it was.

“What?” he snapped before he saw that it was Kita.

“Don’t worry, Draconis is alive,” Kita assured him. “I used my psychic powers after we saw that he was missing. He is alive but unconscious.”

Hurdy breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good, but I’m still not resting until I find him! He should be right around here somewhere.”

As Kita spoke with Hurdy, Forde had gone up to help rally the troops at the top of the pile of rubble. Seeing that they would be facing fierce combat at that location all day, Forde headed back into the city to get some more support from archers, as well as replacement troops to help hold the breach in the defenses.

Corvon and Lucario were dirty from the dust kicked up in the battle on the rubble. Corvon had a nasty cut on his arm from one enemy that had surprised him, but was still in fighting condition. Lucario now also sported a burnt patch of fur, which he had gotten when a Magmar shot a flamethrower at him when he was already fighting another opponent. Everything seemed to be chaos, with enemy soldiers and pokemon rushing up to face them.

For hours, the fighting raged on. On the far side of the pile of collapsed stone, off to the side, something stirred under a small pile of rock. Draconis wondered where he was for a moment before remembering what had happened. His head hurt, and it felt like he had many other bruises. With a mighty effort he slid out from under the heavy stone that had him pinned down. The sounds of battle were all around him, so Draconis kept low. He glanced around, and saw the pile of stone where the wall had been. Enemies rushed past him, towards the gap, so he kept hidden behind the stone around him. Up in the gap, Draconis suddenly spotted the familiar black hat of Corvon, as well as the pointed blue tips of Lucario’s ears.

It was then that Draconis decided he was going to make it back up to his friends. Gathering his courage, he jumped from his hiding spot and made a run for the top. Like all pokemon in the battle, Draconis wore a band to show which side he was on. Although dusty, it was obvious he was with Midern, so he wasted no time in letting his enemies notice this. He flamed a Cacturne that was climbing the stone, and slashed a Sandshrew that had his back to him. Just 20 yards ahead was the line between enemy and friend, but several enemy pokemon all turned to face him.

Surrounded by the burned Cacturne, the slashed Sandshrew, and a Doduo that had decided to join the fight, Draconis would have to give it his all to win. The Doduo rushed in first, pecking Draconis twice on his leg. The sharp beaks cut into his scales, causing Draconis to bleed. Draconis whipped the Doduo in the face with his tail, before slashing it across the chest with his claw. The bird had low stamina, and so it collapsed from the blow.

The Sandshrew attacked next, and Draconis had to dodge backwards to avoid the swipes of its claws. Soon, he was backed up against a large piece of stone, the Sandshrew still coming at him. He tried dodging to the side, but was hit across the chest and arm with two of the Sandshrew’s swipes. Draconis retaliated with another slash, but this time one of his claws got stuck in the Sandshrew’s thick hide. Draconis shot out his fiery breath to incapacitate the Sandshrew, but his claw was still stuck. The Cacturne took advantage of this, and sprayed him with needles using its pin missile attack.

The needles all stuck into Draconis’s shoulder. The pain was driving Draconis into a rage, and his claw being stuck in the Sandshrew was becoming increasing aggravating. He tried pulling his claw out once more, but had to jump as the Cacturne attacked with a needle arm. Draconis heard a snapping sound and his claw was free. Below him, the Cacturne’s attack had chipped the stone behind him. Suddenly, his claw that had been stuck flared in pain. Draconis looked and saw that instead of getting free, his claw had broken off, and his finger was now bleeding. His tail flared larger and brighter than ever, and Draconis used his pain and anger to launch a flamethrower that finished off the Cacturne. Panting and exhausted, Draconis continued moving up the pile of rock.

It seemed luck didn’t like Draconis today, as a Skorupi suddenly grabbed the leg that had been injured by the Doduo. The little scorpion pierced his skin with one of its stingers, and injected its poison. Draconis knocked it away, but began to shiver as the poison took effect. He tried moving on, but was growing weak, and once again the Skorupi approached him. The poison was now so bad, it caused him to collapse.

“I can’t fall here…” Draconis muttered to himself as everything went blurry. Sure, he was in pain and bleeding from the scratches, pecks, and missing claw, but that wasn’t going to stop him. Suddenly, the sight of the Skorupi preparing to sting him again filled him with an uncontrollable rage and power returned to him.

“I’m not going down!” Draconis shouted. His tail flared twice as bright, and his whole body began to glow white. Suddenly, everything seemed a bit smaller than before, and Draconis laughed at how pathetic the Skorupi looked now. He blasted it with a flamethrower more powerful than any he had ever done, and then crushed it beneath the large claws on his red foot. Strange, his foot used to be orange and have small claws. Draconis looked at his hand that used to be missing a claw, just to find it replaced with a new and larger claw. Draconis suddenly realized he had evolved, and it felt good to defeat opponents with his new power.

Only a few weaklings stood in his way now. Draconis came up from behind an enemy Pikachu, and slashed it across the throat before it noticed him. Draconis threw the Pikachu to the side, before unleashing a flamethrower at a Sentret that tried to stop him. Seeing that he was on their side, the Midern soldiers let Draconis through. He immediately spotted Hurdy, who was rooting around in the rocks.

“Hurdy, why aren’t you fighting?” Draconis asked.

Hurdy stared at the Charmeleon for a second. It looked intimidating, with blood on its claws, but Hurdy soon realized who it was.

“Draconis? I’ve been looking for you all day!” Hurdy shouted joyfully. “I thought you were buried under the rock somewhere.”

Hurdy ran up and would have rubbed his head against his friend in affection, but stopped since his friend’s leg seemed to be splattered with the dark blood of some pokemon.

“Oh, that’s from a Skorupi that crossed me,” Draconis casuallly explained. “It’s not around anymore, as you can tell. Since you found me, why don’t we join the battle? It looks as if they could use some help holding the line.”

“Okay, let’s go help Lucario and Corvon!” Hurdy suggested as they ran up the debris.

Lucario finished off a foe with a powerful punch before glancing at Hurdy and Draconis. He returned to fighting opponents, but also spoke with the two.

“I take it you found Draconis,” Lucario stated, as he dodged an attack. “He looks a bit different. There’s plenty of opponents, so feel free to join in.”

“Don’t mind if I do!” Draconis shouted as he rushed forward to slash an enemy.

“I’ll hold this spot,” Hurdy announced as he jumped on one of the pieces of stone at the top of the pile and shot water and mud down at the approaching enemies.

Corvon took interest in Hurdy’s attacks. “Hurdy, why don’t you spread mud over the side of the pile our enemies are on?” he suggested after finishing off an enemy soldier.

Hurdy used his mud-slap attack to cover the other side of the pile in mud. Enemies began to slip while coming up the hill, slowing them down. As a result, less enemies now engaged the defenders at the top of the hill.

It was late afternoon now, and they all continued fighting for a few more hours. After the sun had set, Forde came around once again, and noticed that all of them were still fighting.

Forde approached and waited for a pause in the fighting. “Corvon!” he shouted to get his attention. Corvon noticed him so he moved closer. “Corvon, you’ve been fighting long enough. We have other soldiers ready to take care of it during the night.”

“Yeah,” Draconis stated. “I awoke on the other side of the wall and had to fight my way back here. As a Charmander, I was too weak to face all the enemies, but now that I’m a Charmeleon, most of them were no match for me.”

“It’s good that you’re back,” Forde said. “Last I had heard, you had disappeared, so I’m glad you’ve returned. Now, let’s head back to the castle. Elomir and Leon should already be there. I spoke with them during the battle, and told them to turn in when it got dark. Elomir agreed, since he isn’t good at flying in the dark.”

“How is the rest of the battle going?” Corvon inquired as he remembered and got out the food he had packed for lunch. Corvon handed it out to the pokemon as he waited for an answer.

“There have been a few breaches like the one you all fought at,” Forde explained. “Some parts of the wall collapsed even more than yours. We’ve taken heavy losses defending a few of these holes in our defense, but it seems like we’re holding them off.”

“Good to hear,” Corvon stated.

They returned to the castle, where Leon and Elomir were waiting. They had both finished their food, and Leon was speaking with the king, but stopped as they arrived. They got seated and got their food, but had to wait as Draconis washed the blood off his claws. Soon, they were all speaking of the battle.

“So how did your battle go?” Draconis asked Elomir.

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” Elomir stated. “I’m sure you have an interesting story. Anyways, I flew around the skies with Leon. At first, it was bird pokemon again. They got a few scratches on me from time to time, but nothing major. Rinn had a group of electric pokemon that began shooting our other forces out of the sky, so me and Leon went to go stop that. A few dragonbreath attacks stopped them. Good thing I’m mostly immune to electric attacks. Later on I had to face a Salamence. That’s where I got this burn and this scratch.”

Elomir pointed out a large bandage on his side, as well as a burn on the side of his wing. “Anyways, it was a vicious battle. The Salamence was tough, and I probably would have lost if I faced it alone. The king’s Scizor, Crim, came to help me, though. Man, is that Scizor fast! With the two of us, the Salamence was down in a short time. I had to go to the medics after that, and then avoided intense fighting the rest of the day.”

Draconis now eyed the Scizor, which stood over by the king. “I didn’t think the king would join the battle,” Draconis stated.

Crim, the Scizor, approached upon hearing Draconis. “You’re telling me that you don’t know that the king is a master with the halberd? Everyone that can fight is doing so.”

The stern tone of the Scizor seemed to keep everyone quiet. “I’m only kidding,” Crim joked. “Most people don’t know about the king’s combat skills unless they face him. By then, it’s usually too late for them to spread word.”

They all laughed a little, but Chiro laughed the hardest. “I shocked and amazed all my foes,“ Chiro began. “When Forde let me go fight by myself, I was dodging left and right, and no one could hit me!”

“I have a bit of a headache after using so many psychic attacks,” Kita admitted. “At least I remain untouched. Forde’s training really pays off in tough battles like this.”

Draconis and Hurdy also told their stories of battle for the day. On the table where the humans sat, talk was also focused on the battle.

“King Verault and I were just sharing about how we picked up our weapon skills,” Leon explained. “I chose the bow because it allows me to remain with Elomir, and attack my enemies from the skies.”

“And I,” Verault added. “Chose the halberd because of its versatility and power. In my hands it can deal with almost any weapon my opponents might have, much like my Scizor, Crim, is able to deal with almost any pokemon my opponents have. What about you, Forde and Corvon, why do you use the weapons you do?”

“As a mercenary, I need both quick and effective weaponry,” Corvon explained. “That’s why I use a sword up close, and a crossbow for long range. They both need to be kept well-maintained to be fully effective, but that’s easy for me.”

“Have you forgotten that I don’t fight?” Forde asked. “Anyways, if it ever comes to it, I’d use this dagger.” Forde pulled out a dagger with a one foot blade from a hidden sheath. “With a dagger like this, the weapon would be completely under my control. If I ever had to fight, I’d want control above anything else in a weapon. Anyways, I’m heading off to my room.”

Lucario joined in the conversation, breaking his usual silence. “He left quickly. Must be a touchy subject. My body is the only weapon I need. Must be hard not to be a pokemon.”

The king smiled. “Well, it does have its disadvantages, but being a human also has its own advantages.”

With Forde gone, the others all finished their meals with light conversation. They bid King Verault and Crim good night before retiring to their respective rooms. Forde noticed that it was time to meet with Mewtwo and Mew, and so he went to an unoccupied part of the castle. Right on time, Mewtwo and Mew appeared.

“So, how are things going?” Mewtwo questioned.

“Our side is doing well, but not too much better than expected,” Forde declared. “They’ve broken down parts of the wall, and we’re doing our best to hold them.”

“What about those people and pokemon we met earlier? How are they doing? Some of them seemed a bit young for heavy battle,” Mew questioned.

“They are doing fine. Leon shoots arrows from Elomir’s back, so he isn’t in much danger unless Elomir falls. Elomir did take a few injuries today, but nothing that will stop him. Corvon and Lucario only got minor injuries. The young ones, Hurdy and Draconis, probably had it the toughest today. They were on part of the wall when it collapsed, and Draconis went missing for some time. Hurdy was distraught and stayed out of the fighting to look for his friend. Later on, Draconis came back to us, evolved and more powerful than ever after a difficult fight back to the walls. Hurdy then joined the fighting, and proved most useful by slowing down the enemies with mud.”

“Sounds like everything is good then,” Mew said with a smile.

“I think it is, but I do worry a little about Draconis. His evolution seems to have brought a new lust for battle. His claws were covered in blood by the end. As long as he doesn’t let it get out of hand, then its alright, but I do worry.”

“Well, how about our reports then?” Mewtwo interrupted.

“Fine, what have you got?”

Mewtwo went first. “King Zeidhelme was also focused on the war, but had similar oddities like Queen Iridia. Another fragmented thought, one that didn’t really belong, stood out. It was another fragment of the poem:

Three rocks await the winter’s kiss
One by one, receive its bliss

I couldn’t find much else.”

“I guess it’s my turn,” Mew began. “I met with the being of emotion, Mesprit. It was really happy to see me. Mesprit then grew sad and almost cried when I told it about the war. Once I calmed Mesprit down, it told me where it had last seen Uxie. I stayed and chatted and had some fun with Mesprit, because I didn’t want to make it angry by leaving so soon, and so that took up most my time. I do believe I’ll find Uxie tomorrow.”

“That’s good,” Forde stated. “Also, the extra supplies are helping to boost both the king’s and the soldiers’ morale, so I thank you for bringing those in.”

“That’s the easiest part of what we’re doing. It’s nothing,” Mewtwo said in mock modesty. “Anyways, have a good night.”

“See you tomorrow, same time,” Mew added.

“Thank you, and good night,” Forde concluded.

The two teleported away, and Forde returned to his room. Kita was waiting, and Chiro was curled up on the bed, asleep. Draconis and Hurdy slept peacefully. Forde had the pillows that Hurdy and Draconis slept on replaced with something they might like more, so Hurdy slept in a basin full of water, and Draconis slept on a tray of heated sand, kept warm by some glowing coals underneath it.

They all seemed to be deeply asleep, but Kita whispered anyway. “So, Forde, what did Mewtwo and Mew have to say?”

“How did you know I met with them?”

“I could sense their energies miles away, especially when they aren’t even trying to hide them. I also figured that they would need to talk to you now and then, since they are on important missions for you. Perhaps you should have had them just join the battle. It would have been over already.”

“First of all, battling is very painful for them. They avoid it if they can, much like I do. It has something to do with their pasts, that’s all I know. Most legendaries avoid interfering in human affairs anyways. Part of their pride or something. They haven’t found much yet, so you should just get your rest. The battle will be just as fierce, if not more, tomorrow.”

“Do you think the wall will hold on much longer?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“If the battle is going to be worse tomorrow, and today they knocked out several portions of the wall, then will it really last another day?”

“Don’t tell the others, but I don’t think it will. Our defense will frustrate the enemy, who will resort to more drastic measures. They haven’t used any exploding pokemon yet, but I think they’ll bring those out tomorrow. Once the walls fall, our casualties will rise as fighting moves to the streets of the city. Hopefully we can keep any civilians out of the way.”

Oh yes. I remember this chapter. You described the battle very very well, and there was plenty of action to keep me on the edge of my seat.

In this chapter I especially liked when Draconis evolved, and that in evolving not only his appearance changed, but his personality too slightly changed (I can't see how I like how he turned out though, being all blood-thirsty. Oooooh not someone I'd want to meat in battle!) Of course the entire chapter was great though.

Well that's my bit on this. I'm still open to a beta chapter if you have one. I really like those.

No need to call me by my full name. Focus will do just fine. Or you can call me FPE. You can save a second of writing that way! (and save me a second of reading *grins maniacally* Step 1 in world domination complete! Ah-Uh... I mean... um... well you see... grr... foiled again!)